UNC grads return to stage

European gallivanting. Sexual politics. A Belgian waffle fortune.

Such are the major plot points in the drama “Letter from Algeria,” a production that allows current UNC students to build upon the experience of their graduated peers.

The narrative is one of mystery.

“You start to wonder who is telling the truth,” said cast member Sarah Berk, who graduated from UNC in May. “And who, maybe, is a sociopath.”

In the play, three college students studying abroad in Brussels fall victim to the allure of a menacing older man, heir to a sizable family fortune earned through the sale of waffles.

“The show is like a seesaw with four corners,” said cast member Bryan Burton, a junior. “Everyone is trying to keep stable.”

The play, written by Michael I. Walker, will be showcased by Ground UP Productions at the Kenan Theatre.

A major goal of Ground UP is to give advice to and help foster the careers of UNC performers.

“This year we have done what we truly wanted to do,” said Kate Middleton, Ground UP Productions’ producing artistic director and director of “Letter to Algeria.”

“The students have done everything,” she said.

Ground UP was formed in 2005 as a New York-based nonprofit theatre company. UNC alumni founded and continue to administer the company.

After their caps were mothballed and gowns were hung, the five original members, graduates from the classes of 1999 through 2002, packed their suitcases for New York.

But after several disconnected years in the Big Apple, they found they missed each other a little too much.

“We craved the spirit and missed the camaraderie we had at UNC, which is sometimes hard to find in a place like New York,” Middleton said.

“Letter From Algeria” is the culmination of Ground UP Productions’ fourth annual educational outreach residency program.

In March, undergraduates auditioned for a weeklong residency in New York, where they would participate in acting and professional training workshops, rehearse a new play and attend a marketing party with members of the New York dramatic community.

“It put us in a professional mind set, being in a location surrounded by professional actors,” said stage manager and recent UNC graduate Andrew Slater.

Slater, assistant director Catya McMullen and the rest of the cast worked with Ground UP between Aug. 1 and Aug. 8.

“My brain was bubbling after every day, but it was wonderful,” said cast member Josh Wolonick, a junior. “It felt so productive and real.”

Ground UP members relish their opportunities to help current students and return to their UNC roots.

“Being on campus, we stock up on all its energy,” Middleton said. “That, and Mama Dip’s.”

Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.