They're playin' with the Theater Scene ... in a good way

Trevor Kupfer |

I want to take a minute to crush on the UWEC Players. If you haven’t heard of them, they’re a group of renegade theater students at the university, who a little over a year ago decided to start a group and do their own public performances. Their bibliography includes The Dispute, and original productions Candid, The Memory Project, and the upcoming Because of Poppy Weisz. These are the same kids that were living statues at the Viennese Ball and International Fall Fest. And they put on a Haunts of Eau Claire Bus Tour.

Say what you want about their talent or quality of productions, you have to admire this kind of ambition. They started their own group; write their own shows; do everything from casting to reserving space; organize unique events; market themselves really well (with photos, posters, Twitter, a website and blog, etc.; all while finding time to go to class.

I’m most immediately struck by their strange marketing for the Poppy Weisz show. Just check out their website and you’ll see what I mean. And in a really awesome Radiohead-meets-theater move, they’re advertising the January 30 performance date as a “pay what you feel” option. How freakin’ cool is that? ("Poppy Weisz" even has a Twitter account).

Let’s face it; these guys and gals are doing some pretty cool stuff, and making an even better name for UWEC’s theater department in the process. Kudos, kids. Keep on playin.'