Writing Wabaunsee County

June 28 & 29 | Doors at 6pm

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Destination Burrito food truck, MHK CaravanCo. beverage truck,  and FlintHills Pints homemade ice cream

in the gallery:

The Nature Conservancy in Kansas Photography Contest Winners

The sculpture and nature trail will be open.

Performance at 8pm

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Click here to learn more and purchase a sponsorship on line.  We will assign the best available seats in the order of requests received.  No need to go to Eventbrite unless you need additional tickets beyond your sponsorship.
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If you prefer to send a check, please make your check to Volland Foundation.  Indicate your level of giving and preferred date of attendance in the memo line of your check.  Mail to: Volland Foundation, PO Box 144, Alma, KS 66401.  If choosing this method of support, please email us to let us know your check is coming! We will reserve your seats in the order in which we receive your emailed or mailed request, whichever comes first.

Writing Wabaunsee County

What do you find when draw a circle around an area and mine the experiences and talents within? That is the premise for Writing Wabaunsee County , a series of plays written and performed by Wabaunsee County residents past and present.

The project, which leans into the community theatre concept, is the brainchild of Beth Wynstra and Mary Pinard. Both are professors at Babson College in the Boston, MA area, where they teach drama and literature, respectively. Writing Wabaunsee County builds on their last project at Volland, Heart/Roots: Wabaunsee County , which saw Mary collect stories from countians and adapt them into a unique script. For this production, the two are guiding the writers and actors, helping them craft and perform unique plays written around six central “ingredients” that tie all the plays together.

After working with Beth and Mary on Zoom throughout the Spring, the playwrights and actors will work closely in the week leading up to the June 28 and 29th performances to hone their plays, aiding each other in making last minute edits and acting instructions.

Learn more about the playwrights and actors below, and scroll farther down for information about the performances.

Emmett Spaw, Wendi Rogers, Karen Barron, Marci Spaw, Rhonda Nehring
Special Contributors:  Kathy Hogue and Rob Meseke

(top row, left to right): Emmett Spaw, Wendi Rogers, Karen Barron

(bottom row, left to right): Marci Spaw, Rhonda Nehring, Rob Meseke, (Kathy Hogue is out of camera range)

Karen – who writes professionally under the name K.L. Barron – is an author of poetry and prose. Karen teaches writing and literature at Washburn University in Topeka, and introduced her first novel, Thirst , in late 2022.

Rhonda also contributes to the  Signal-Enterprise  and is a good friend of Volland as a volunteer. Writing is just one of Rhonda’s creative skills, which also extends to music with string instruments.

Wendi grew up and has spent most of her life in Eskridge and the surrounding hills. As a former librarian and editor/writer/critic, Wendi has devoted much of her life to literature.

Emmett is currently studying playwriting at Kansas State University. His works have been praised for their wit and humor. Emmett also helps oversee KSU’s improv group, where he acts and directs.

Marci is the Executive Director of the Wabausee County Historical Society & Museum. She is a seasoned grant and copywriter for the museum and is excited to try something new with Writing Wabaunsee County.

Rob is a regular contributor to  The Wabaunsee County Signal-Enterprise  and the Wabaunsee County Historical Society & Museum’s newsletter, diving into wide-ranging topics, often on regional and personal history.  Rob will contribute a piece to the printed program of Writing Wabaunsee County.

Kathy is a ranch wife and a preservationist.  She and her husband Bill purchased an 1860’s Flint Hills homestead with several crumbling stone structures. After years of neglect, Stonebridge, the landmark homestead with its arched-ceiling stone cellars has been restored.  Kathy is a writer who looks forward to contributing to the printed program of Writing Wabaunsee County.

Jeremiah Ariaz, Briana Drinkwater, Don Hendricks
Brian Huntzinger, Stephanie Manes, Blake Thomas

(top row, left to right): Jeremiah Ariaz, Brianna Drinkwater, Don Hendricks
(bottom row, left to right): Brian Huntzinger, Stephanie Manes, Blake Thomas

Although Jeremiah is not officially from Wabaunsee County, he is a familiar face around Alma. He is a past Volland Resident and exhibitor, working in photography. Hailing from Great Bend, KS, and currently a professor of photography at Louisiana State University, Jeremiah makes regular trips back to Kansas to visit family and to continue his artistic pursuits .

Briana comes from a background in performing arts. She’s performed in musicals such as My Fair Lady  and West Side Story , and previously performed as a professional mermaid on the great island of Hawaii. Briana is an EMT and paramedic. She currently lives in Alma and often practices her singing for her two cats, much to their chagrin. 

As a Wabaunsee County native, Don Hendricks has spent many hours in community involvement. He has served on the Alma City Council as an elected official (1989-1997) and as Alma’s Mayor (1997-2005). Don is a business owner in Alma. He and his wife, Rosa, have two daughters and five active grandchildren.

Brian has appeared in a few productions at The Columbian Theater in Wamego. You may have seen him in Oliver! , Annie Get your Gun , It’s a Wonderful Life! and A Tribute to Carol Burnett. Brian is a Paramedic/Captain with Pottawatomie County EMS where he has worked for 20 years. A native of Wamego, Brian has lived in rural Wabaunsee County (just a few miles from Volland) for the last 6 years.

Stephanie is a grassland ecologist with a passion for native prairies and the people they support.  She  lives in  Wamego, Kansas, with her two children.  Stephanie is from Mannford, Oklahoma (the Southern Flint Hills!) but has travelled and worked extensively with ranching families to conserve land in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas.  This is Stephanie’s second live theatre performance.

Blake is an eternal optimist, always looking for unique experiences and challenges to learn something new.  He has travelled along various career paths including professional horse training, computer technology, construction and parenting – kids, horses and dogs.  All of Blake’s life experiences provide an excellent foundation for this theatrical experience.

Beth Wynstra is an Associate Professor of English at Babson College. She holds a Ph.D. in Theater Studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a certificate in Directing from the Yale School of Drama. Beth’s book, I Only Act a Part You’ve Created: The Performance of Marriage in the Plays of Eugene O’Neill (University of Iowa Press, Theater History and Culture Series) was published in 2023. Beth has written extensively on the life and plays of Eugene O’Neill and often works as a dramaturg with professional theater companies around the country who are producing the works of O’Neill. Beth regularly directs plays and musicals at Babson and is the Founding Artistic Director of The Empty Space Theater. She is honored to be working with the Volland Foundation, the talented cast and crew, and with her extraordinary friend, mentor, and colleague, Mary Pinard, on Writing Wabaunsee County .

Mary Pinard is a poet and teaches literature at Babson College in Wellesley, MA. Her poems have appeared in a range of literary journals, and her first book of poetry, Portal , was published in 2014 by Salmon Press.  Her second book, Ghost Heart, which contains poems about her beloved Flint Hills, was published in 2022 and was shared at the Ruin last summer. Copies are available in the Volland gallery.  She was born and raised in Seattle, and Heart/Roots: Wabaunsee County in 2022 was her first play.

Janelle is thrilled to return to Volland for its latest theatre production! Janelle served as stage manager for Heart/Roots in 2022, and shortly afterward graduated from K-State with a degree in theatre. She is currently the Event Services Coordinator at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, CO. The Broadmoor hosts musical, theatrical and various other programs across its two venues.

Join us on June 28th and 29th to see the results of everyone’s hard work. Doors will open at 6:30pm with Destination Burrito food truck, MHK CaravanCo. for drinks, and FlintHills Pints homemade ice cream, plus Volland’s exhibit of winning/notable photographs from The Nature Conservancy in Kansas Photography Contest. Volland’s trails will also be open.

Tickets must be purchased in advance as seats are reserved. Volland will set up tables for dining and is providing seating (mostly bleachers and some chairs) for the performance. You don’t need to bring a lawn chair this time!

For Saturday ‘s performan ce only: if you want to hear from the playwrights this is the night to come. A conversation on their process will begin at 6:45pm and conclude at 7:30pm, before that night’s performance.

We look forward to seeing you in June!

Order tickets here!