The Fairmont State University student theatre organization Masquers will present Magic Theatre (February 16-19, 2023), performed in the Wallman Hall Theatre on the campus of Fairmont State. 

Magic Theatre is a roller coaster of action, sound, and images. The play is an improvisational and transformational journey for the audience. The actors create entire worlds using their voices, bodies, instruments, and, most importantly, their imaginations. 

The journey includes fables such as “Just Like Everybody Else,” “The Boy Who Sat on His Anger,” “The War and the Tickle,” and “The Journey of the Kiss.” There are stops in The Land of Yellow and The Enchanted Forest. And confrontations with The Sun, Animals, and Monsters in the Dark.

“Throughout the journey, the actors encourage the audience members to use their imaginations and interact with them, inviting them to be partners on the journey of creation,” said Director Dr. John O’Connor. “Along the way, the audience will discover the freedom of imaginative play that is not dependent on technology. They will learn lessons about living in community, accepting diversity, acknowledging their emotions, and facing their fears. It’s a demonstration of and a tribute to the creative power that we all have bubbling inside us. All we need to do is use our imagination.”

Director Dr. John O’Connor, Senior Professor of Communication Arts, facilitates the work of the eight Fairmont State University students comprising the acting company: Skylor Campbell, McKenzie Fittro, Catherine Gray, Hayley Harvey, Tessa Jolly, Mathew O’Neill, Jarryd Powell, and Olivia Short. The production company includes Assistant Director Ashley Doyle-Sine, Fairmont State Theatre Education alumna; Stage Manager James Spears, Fairmont State student; and Designer and Technical Director Troy Snyder, Professor of Theatre Arts.

The production is suitable for all ages and will be performed in the Wallman Hall Theatre Thursday, February 16 – Saturday, February 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 19 at 

2:00 p.m. Tickets are free and can be downloaded at www.fairmontstate.edu/boxoffice.

The journey will continue Tuesday, February 21, and Wednesday, February 22, when the company takes the production out to several Marion County elementary and middle schools.