Photo by Dana Fritz
The Ruin at Volland has been a source of curiosity for all who visit.
“What is that?” they say, when looking out the big front windows of the Store. “It is the remains of a house,” we answer, “It was built by Otto Kratzer as the home for his family.” 1927 is carved into a concrete step which leads down into the former basement.
In the Summer of 2022 the Ruin will be reimagined as a place for theater.
more information on Theatre at the Ruin
Announcing….
Auditions and Story Collection for Theatre at the Ruin
Theatre at the Ruin is a community-based, story-collecting, theater project. This original play is a creation of Beth Wynstra, Director, a professor of American Drama and Acting at Babson College, in collaboration with poet Mary Pinard who will write the script. Ms. Pinard is a published poet and professor of English at Babson College. A true community collaboration, it will be directly created from interviews and real-life experiences of the people of Wabaunsee County, Kansas.
We are collecting memories and stories from Wabaunsee County residents through December 15, 2021. If you would like to be a part of this project and have a memory or story you would like to share please click here for details.
We are seeking actors of all ages and levels of theater experience (no experience necessary) to perform the stories that will comprise the live production of Theatre at the Ruin. We strongly encourage performers of all abilities, gender identities, and ethnic and racial backgrounds to audition.
Auditions will be conducted in person in 2022, at Volland, or by Zoom. For selected actors rehearsals will happen via Zoom in April and May. In early June, actors will rehearse in person. Theatre at the Ruin will culminate with a live production in 2022. Please contact Beth Wynstra for audition details and to sign up for a time.
Theatre at the Ruin will be staged in the ruins of a home that burned in 1929, on the grounds of The Volland Store. This setting will be an extraordinary backdrop for the performance, as well as a striking demonstration of how historic places might be reimagined as dynamic new spaces for artistic exploration and community building. The impetus to bring this new theatrical work to the Wabaunsee County community was sparked by the Smithsonian exhibition “Crossroads: Change in Rural America,” which was held at The Volland Store in the Spring of 2021.
The Volland Foundation provides artist residencies and community programming in a historic village setting in the Flint Hills of Kansas. The Volland Foundation’s activities bring together artists, residents, and visitors with members of the local community in a village environment, enhancing the region’s economic vitality and nurturing community connections and open dialogue. The Foundation’s programs aim to celebrate and share local lifeways and the complex history of the Flint Hills region and its peoples.