MC students, faculty and alumni bring the annual arrival of ‘Advents’ to the stage
Nov. 11, 2025
Maryville College amplifies campus creativity through “Advents,” an expressive stage-reading production featuring written and directed works by select MC students and alumni.
The five writers this year will be Kat Wilson ’28, Amy Reed ‘01, McKenna Marr ’28, Felix Juarez ’29 and Maddie Yalove ’29. “Advents” is an annual tradition that has been performed around the holiday season for the past four years. It encompasses interdiversity by involving people outside of the Maryville College Theatre Department to participate both on and off stage.
All stories will feature the theme of arrival, according to “Advents” creator and organizer Andy Vaught, assistant professor of theater at Maryville College.
“The notion of arrivals felt like a strong theme that could focus the participants while also invoking the season that we are in,” Vaught said. “There’s a history of religious exploration at this school. While the works themselves aren’t required to be religious, the notion of momentous occurrences resonates very well.”
Although the writers are working under this same theme, each of them is taking an individual approach.
As an alumna and current staff member at MC, Reed brings a special voice to “Advents” with her comedic play titled “Thanksgiving with Mamaw,” which is about familial connections and vexations set against the backdrop of Thanksgiving.
“I graduated cum laude from MC in 2001 with a degree in English, and always harbored dreams of being either a screenwriter or playwright,” Reed said. “I audited Vaught’s playwriting course in the spring of ’24, and it was the best decision I could have made for myself. In that small class of six students, I was surrounded by talented, insightful and compassionate individuals like Vaught, who were generous with their constructive criticism and praise. There really is something special about MC.”
Juarez echoed Reed’s praise.
“Andy is a great thinker, and a spontaneous one as well,” he said. “I really enjoy his mentorship, and since the summer, we’ve done nothing but talk about playwriting and comedy. With Andy’s guidance, I think I will be able to polish my play completely.”
Juarez’s play is about a Western town’s murder mystery, and his inspiration comes from European folklore and the dangers of life in cold, remote places.
Yalove and Marr also took a more mysterious approach with their stories.
“My play is called ‘Project Pruple,’” Yalove said. “It’s about a newbie cop with a secret, who is about to interview a villainous sidekick about a secret of her own.”
Marr’s play, titled “A Look-Alike,” is about two girls who realize they are the same person living the same life, and not even the audience knows which girl is real and which is the doppelgänger.
Wilson’s story is about the seven stages of grief, and how the arrival of each one brings on a new emotion.
“It does not matter what you have lost, whether it be a person, a pet, or even an object,” Wilson said. “You will go through these stages of grief in some form or fashion.”
“Advents” continues to be a creative outlet for many members of the college.
“Participants get to share their work with friends and strangers,” Vaught said. “They get to push themselves with the feedback of an invested group of writers. And they get experience in learning how a new play slowly makes its way to a full production. It’s a chance to celebrate the work that goes on at MC. I’m always eager for a chance to do that.”
“Advents” will take place at 8 p.m., Nov. 21 in the Haslam Family Flexible Theatre of the Clayton Center for the Arts. Tickets are free and open to the public.
— Written by McKenna Marr ’28
