Faculty, alums, staff, students collaborate for Fairhaven Summer Rep season

A who's-who of Western faculty, staff, alums, and students are all working together to create the 2024 season of Fairhaven Summer Repertory Theatre which will offer live theatre six nights a week from June 25 through July 21 at the FireHouse Arts and Events Center in Fairhaven, WA.

Repertory Theatre

Drawing on a century-old American tradition of academic cohorts banding together to produce high caliber summer theatre, Bellingham Theatreworks, headed up by Western Theatre Arts Professor Mark Kuntz, will offer a season of plays in repertory they're calling "Just Us: A time for humility and humanity."

The season will include performances of "To Kill a Mockingbird," "The Mountaintop," and Larissa FastHorse's satire "The Thanksgiving Play." The selections were "inspired by the social issues of race and discrimination that have entangled our country for generations."

The plays will be offered in "rep" - short for "repertory" meaning that each play will be performed off and on throughout the season in rotation. Actors will play different roles in several productions - so a person appearing in one play on a Tuesday might appear in a very different role in a different play the following night. The crew works to keep all the shows running at once.

See the full schedule at the Bellingham Theatreworks website.

A cast and crew of familiar faces

The directors, cast, and crew of Fairhaven Summer Repertory Theatre have been drawn liberally from the ranks of Western, including current faculty, staff, and students, as well as alumni of Theatre Arts. The project provides invaluable experience and opportunities for current and former students. It also fosters strong industry networks between alums, faculty, former faculty, and students.

Professor Mark Kuntz will direct "To Kill a Mockingbird," while alum Kayla Adams will direct "The Thanksgiving Play." Theatre Arts staffer Kevin Harris will perform the duties of Company Manager. Students MJ Dizon and Riley Stalker will assistant direct productions.

Western students Rosie Arnesen and Carson Golik will provide stage management, along with alum Breeann Dunivent -who will also perform during the season.

The costume department will be run by WWU staff member Marie Wildfield, assisted by current students Autumn Hahn and Charlie Muroya. Students Kat Smith and Aia Goldman will work on props, and student Alissa Flood will conduct marketing and assist with costumes.

Student Skylar Sanders will join the cast along with former Western faculty member Patrick Dizney. They will be joined in the acting company by alums Breeann Dunivent, Aiden Espinosa, Robert Frederickson, Anthoy LeBeauf, Dallas Milholland, and Joe Uhl.

From Western, and beyond

In its entirety, Fairhaven Summer Repertory Theatre combines many members of the community: students and educators, parents and children, as well as guest artists from far beyond Bellingham Bay, all working together to bring these three plays to life.