Union College Theatre’s first show of the 2023-2024 season, “An Unspeakable Triumph of Supreme Brilliance,” opens this weekend. Written by Don Zolidis, the comedy follows a community theatre troupe struggling to come up with a script worthy of a 10-million-dollar prize in just two days. The cast and crew feature Union students, staff, and faculty alongside a high school student, professional actors, and other members of the local community.
“Everybody has such a strong character that you could watch one person the entire time, and they would have so many nuanced reactions and expressions,” says sophomore Tia Cobb. “There's just a lot of work and care that's been put into this.”
Cobb, who is from Corbin, plays the overbearing director of the play-within-the-play, Samantha (Samson in the original script). Seeing her high-energy performance and physical comedy on the stage, it’s hard to imagine her as the introvert she was before she discovered acting in high school. She explains that when her acting debut set for March of 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic, she took time to reflect on what performing really meant to her.
In addition to this weekend’s play, Union’s 2023-2024 season will include “Disney's High School Musical” in the spring, as well as a New Play Festival, which will feature six short plays by local playwrights.
“We wanted to create a season about joy, humor, and celebrating theater since life's pretty tough right now,” Kilburn explains.
She says “Unspeakable Triumph” is about coming to the theatre for enjoyment and taking a “light break from all the heavy stuff going on in the world.”
Cobb says the show offers a lot of comedy and surprises:
“There's a lot of unexpectedness to the show. You don't really know what you'll get until you're there. And still, after running a scene 20 times, I find myself laughing backstage.”
Cobb plays alongside an ensemble cast of students Mae Norman, Malik McCalpine, DeAaron Robinson, Kassidy Koogler, and Robbie Wilder; recent graduate and current staff member Makynzie Miller; community members Jude Timothy Harris and Amber Sizemore; and former Union instructor and current community member Mayla McKeehan.
The crew includes Gracie Flynn as co-director, Bridget Bergiel as assistant to the directors, Ruthie Masengale as stage manager, Serah Christopher as costume designer, Conner Saylor as set designer, Maggie Heinrich as props designer, Dylan Burnette as technical designer, and Rachel Williams as graphic designer.
“The theatre community is filled with many kind people who want to work together with you and see you succeed,” says Cobb. “It was hard for me to find a place to really belong, but theater is a safe space for me. I hope that more people get to be introduced to it through Union’s theatre program or just by seeing the show. If we can spark that magic in one person, then we've done our job.”
Performances of “An Unspeakable Triumph of Supreme Brilliance” will be in Rector Little Theatre on Union’s campus as follows:
- Friday, November 3 at 8 p.m.
- Saturday, November 4 at 8 p.m.
- Sunday, November 5 at 2 p.m.
To reserve seats, go to
www.unionky.edu/fallplay. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for general admission. Patrons may also pay what they can at the door.
For more information about Union’s theatre program, or to submit a play to the New Play Festival, contact Dr. Jayme Kilburn at
jkilburn@unionky.edu. New play submissions are being accepted until December 8.
