The West Virginia University School of Theatre and Dance will feature three mainstage productions this fall, starting with the touching story of a social worker managing a child neglect case.
“Luna Gale,” directed by Lee Blair, associate professor of acting and musical theatre, runs Sept. 25-Oct. 5 in the Gladys G. Davis Theatre at the Canady Creative Arts Center.
The synopsis: Caroline, a veteran social worker, thinks she has a typical case on her hands when she meets Peter and Karlie, two teenage drug addicts accused of neglecting their baby. But when she places their infant daughter in the care of Karlie's mother, Caroline sparks a family conflict that exposes a shadowy, secretive past and forces her to make a risky decision with potentially disastrous consequences. Powerful and arresting, this story written by Rebecca Gilman is a heartbreaking and unforgettable tale of love and betrayal.
Blair shared some insights about the production of “Luna Gale,” and what he hopes for the audience watching.
Q: Why did you choose Luna Gale as one of the productions for this year?
LB: We, as a School, ask ourselves what a specific play or musical offer to all areas within the School and for all current and future students. Factors that came into play when choosing Rebecca Gilman’s “Luna Gale” were its possible minimal design possibilities and challenges to students and faculty as the first show in our 2025-26 season. What does it offer the Performance students in Acting and in Musical Theatre in regard to roles, challenges, new areas of exploration, or a different genre or style of theatre compared to the other shows we are considering. “Luna Gale” fit as a completely realistic play, steeped in issues faced by people every day. It features a variety of ages, relationships, statuses and gender roles within its characters, but especially a strong female character lead and her journey through the play.
Q: How have the students’ approaches to this sensitive story been different from other shows you’ve directed?
LB: The craft, ritual and routine for actors stepping into rehearsal for a show or designers starting their process of developing and creating the world of the play isn’t different show to show, in basics. The difference is in the specificity of the show – the script; the relationships with characters; the visual, auditory or mechanical concepts and execution by designers and technicians to create a world onstage inhabited by actors playing characters; the concept from a director on how to take what is on a page, the literature, and then lead everyone in making this script and story come alive for a group of people sitting in the dark and watching…watching and learning and laughing or crying, having a cathartic moment for entertainment or education.
Specific to “Luna Gale,” for all students and faculty involved, was the idea that this was a real story. No symbolism, no representation – really, no metaphor, or at least no metaphor that beats you over the head. This play is real. Funny, gritty, sad, horrific and hopeful – it’s life. And for the students, it was a challenge to stay that “real” – both student actors and student designers. Just real.
Q: What do you hope the audience takes away from this production.
LB: Everybody has “stuff.” Nobody, no family, doesn’t. What’s different is how we deal with it – as individuals, as families, as co-workers, as a collective group of people. And in the darkest moments, we can, and perhaps, have to find hope to survive.
“Luna Gale” is the first of three mainstage performances by the WVU School of Theatre and Dance this fall.
Later in October, Radhica Ganapathy, associate professor of theatre history, directs “Dracula, a feminist revenge fantasy, really.” Based loosely on the novel by Bram Stoker, this show runs Oct. 23-26 at the Metropolitan Theatre.
“Amour,” directed by Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre Ryan Scoble, runs Nov. 20-Dec. 7 in the Gladys G. Davis Theatre.
WVU Theatre and Dance students are involved in every aspect of the mainstage productions, including acting, dancing, stage and costume design, lighting and other technological needs.
Tickets for these shows and the full 2025-2026 performance lineup is available at go.wvu.edu/ccam-tickets. For more information, call 304-293-SHOW (7469).