Dr. Tim Baxter-Ferguson To Have Play Featured In Virtual Off-Broadway Festival

Limestone College Director of Theatre & Music Theatre Dr. Tim Baxter-Ferguson will have an Off-Broadway online reading of his play “Ice-Fishing On Europa” on Thursday, May 7.

Out Of The Box Theatrics will present Baxter-Ferguson's “Ice-Fishing On Europa” as its second installment of “Off The Couch,” which is a three-week virtual new works play festival.

“Ice-Fishing On Europa” will be livestreaming on Facebook and YouTube this Thursday starting at 7 p.m.

Baxter-Ferguson's piece was chosen for its alignment with the mission of Out Of The Box Theatrics to diversify American theater by providing an inclusive and accessible platform for artists and patrons.

“It is such an honor to have my newest play selected by Out Of The Box Theatrics,” Baxter-Ferguson said recently. “I had been aware of their work as Limestone Theatre alum Jorge Donoso just finished an Off-Broadway run of ‘Baby’ starring Alice Ripley. It was Jorge who encouraged me to submit something, and he has been a cheerleader to me throughout the entire process. It’s gratifying to see a former student really go above and beyond.

“The play itself has been years in the making,” Baxter-Ferguson continued. “Several scenes in the play appeared in an earlier form in a devised piece of the same name that ran at the now defunct CAST Theatre in Charlotte. I have made a lot of changes, but I am so grateful for the guidance of artistic director Michael Simmons. Since the CAST performance so many years ago, I have tinkered with a scene or two, but it wasn’t until this recent COVID-19 quarantine period that I had the time to really tackle it. The play is about the challenge of finding hope in a hopeless universe. It’s also a love story and an examination of an unequal class system.”

The virtual Off-Broadway play will feature actors Ira Kramer, Kristy Cates, Kyle Huey, Gabrielle McClinton, and Gracie Winchester. Frustrated by a world and a marriage that seems on the brink of Armageddon, factory worker Geoff (Kramer) increasingly becomes dissatisfied. Geoff looks to the stars and Europa (one of Jupiter's moons thought to support life) and wonders what life might be like. As his wife Renee (Cates) struggles with a momentous secret, they are pushed to the brink and must make a life or death decision.

“‘Ice-Fishing On Europa’ gives a voice to blue collar workers who are often either unrepresented or misrepresented,” said Donoso, Out Of The Box Theatrics Director of Development. “At its core, it is a play about human connection, which is something we can all relate to and are craving at the moment more than ever before.”

The 60-minute live stream presentation can be found on the Out Of The Box Theatrics YouTube channel and it will include an introduction from the playwright. It can also be viewed live on the Out Of The Box Theatrics Facebook page. For more information, visit www.ootbtheatrics.com

“The launch of our ‘Off the Couch’ series has been unbelievably freeing during this time of social distancing,” said Founding Producing Artistic Director Liz Flemming. “I am certain ‘Ice-Fishing On Europa’ will be a piece that many will learn from, and we are honored to produce such relevant work through this streaming platform.”

Baxter-Ferguson started at Limestone in 2000, and during his tenure he has assisted in the creation of the Theatre department and its many majors. He teaches both English and Theatre courses and is an active playwright and scenic designer. Baxter-Ferguson's designs have also appeared at many regional theaters including Children's Theatre of Charlotte, CAST Theatre, Queen City Theatre, Spartanburg Repertory Theatre, and Collaborative Arts.

“Off The Couch” featured two works by playwright Anthony Anello on April 29 and will conclude with a piece by playwright Lauren Jennings on May 14.