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UE Theatre Alumnus, Dylan Frederick '14, Returns to Campus April 1 & 2 to Screen Award-Winning Documentary American Theater

Evansville, Ind. (03/25/2025) — The University of Evansville (UE) Department of Theatre is proud to announce alumnus Dylan Frederick '14 will be returning to campus to screen AMERICAN THEATER which recently won the Feature Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the Slamdance Film Festival. The event will be held at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 1, and Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in the John David Lutz Theatre Lab. The 90-minute film will be followed by a Q&A with Frederick.

"AMERICAN THEATER follows artists who are on the conservative right, but our ambition is that the film can reach audiences across lines of difference," says co-director Dylan Frederick. "In recent years, there has been a concerted effort to cast half of the country as fundamentally evil in the eyes of the other. AMERICAN THEATER aims to briefly interrupt that cynical strategy and offer audiences a new way to see ourselves in this current political moment-as an entire nation of actors desperate for direction."

Once nationally celebrated for his large-scale outdoor musical productions at Serenbe Playhouse (TITANIC performed on an actual sinking ship or MISS SAIGON with a real helicopter landing) Brian Clowdus's theater career came to a halt in 2020 amid extensive public allegations of unsafe working conditions, racism, and harassment. In the wake of these allegations, Clowdus reinvented himself as a MAGA Republican. AMERICAN THEATER follows Clowdus and his newly assembled troupe of actors as they rehearse their allegorical cancel culture musical-THE SALEM EXPERIENCE.

"The movie is a salute to the hardworking cast of THE SALEM EXPERIENCE," says co-director Nicholas Clark. "They tried their very best to put on a new musical in the middle of the woods and under challenging circumstances. Musicals are unbelievably hard to make, and this one was particularly chaotic. Our idea for the project was to bring an entirely observational approach to documenting their artistic process without interruption. In this way, we were able to authentically capture a rehearsal room immersed in work."

"At the center of this project is a complex relationship between a director and his cast which we feel reflects aspects of the dynamic between Trump and his supporters. That rehearsal dynamic has helped us understand the current national trend toward rightwing authoritarian leaders and those who follow them," says producer Laura Hilliard.

Seating is limited and tickets are free to the public. Reserve your seat by calling the UE Theatre ticket office at 812.488.2031, Monday through Friday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The University of Evansville is a private, comprehensive university with a solid foundation in the arts and sciences and professional schools in business, engineering, education, and health sciences. Established in 1854, UE is recognized across the globe for its rich tradition of innovative, academic excellence and dynamic campus community of #Changemakers.

Home of the Purple Aces, UE is located in the southwestern region of Indiana and offers over 75 majors, 17 Division I sports, and a unique study abroad experience at Harlaxton, the University's very own Victorian manor located in the countryside of England. For more information, please visit evansville.edu.

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812-893-5319

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