Katie Van Winkle '07 and Ad Hoc Theatre Company in Residence
Katie Van Winkle '07 and
Ad Hoc Theatre Company in Residence
by Zoe Lewicki '11
07/09/2008
Earlier this year, Katie Van Winkle '07 started talking with fellow graduates and current students about forming a theatre company and creating a piece for this summer's Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe. Out of their meeting bloomed the Ad Hoc Theatre Company.
![]() From left, Ad Hoc Theatre members Rachel Sugar '08, Stephanie Duncan '08, Dan Perelstein '09, Anna Belc '07, Annie Fredrickson '07, Nick Forrest '08, Tiana Pyer-Pereira '07, and Nicco Moretti '10 (seated) at their last rehearsal. Not pictured: Nick Malakhow '05 and Kim Comer '09. Photo by Katie Van Winkle '07 |
After receiving a grant from the College, the company - comprised of writers, actors, publicists and others - stayed on campus and practiced in the Frear Ensemble Theatre in the Lang Performing Arts Center for the duration of June. Katie is directing their performance.
The grant allowed the Company to create their original piece about Pompei, "The Destruction of the City, and Also an Itinerary for Visitors." The crew will get back together in late August to put on its last touches.
In addition to her work with Ad Hoc, Katie is an intern at Center Stage, the State Theater of Maryland in Baltimore, as a dramaturgist. In this position, she acts as a scholar-in-residence and helps the artistic director plan the season. She is also involved in every Center Stage show and answers actors' questions, leads audience talkbacks, does literary management, and reads new playwrights' work.
"Although I really like reading new playwrights' work," she says, "this is sometimes the hardest part because much of it gets turned down." After her internship finishes at Center Stage, Katie will consider graduate school in theater.