UW-Green Bay Faculty Will Debut Two New Plays
Two original productions will premiere at the university this November as part of the World Premiere Wisconsin festival.
Updated on Oct. 12, 2026 in Puppetry
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University of Wisconsin-Green Bay faculty members Chuck Rybak and Thomas Campbell will debut original plays in November 2026. These campus productions are part of the statewide World Premiere Wisconsin festival.
Why it matters
The plays highlight faculty scholarship while providing hands-on, professional performance opportunities for university students. These events serve to bridge academic creative research with community-facing theatrical offerings.
The production The Flying Corpse required four years of development before reaching the stage. The work secured a 3rd place ranking in the William Faulkner Literary Competition.
The players
Chuck Rybak
He is a faculty member at UW-Green Bay who authored the new play Drag Me Away.
Thomas Campbell
He is a faculty member at UW-Green Bay who wrote The Flying Corpse.
Rebecca Stone Thornberry
She serves as the director for the university production of The Flying Corpse.
Noah Simon
He is a professional actor cast to perform in the upcoming production of Drag Me Away.
Kelli Strickland
She is a professional actor featured in the faculty-written play Drag Me Away.
The details
Chuck Rybak wrote the play Drag Me Away, which features actors Noah Simon and Kelli Strickland. Thomas Campbell penned The Flying Corpse, a production directed by Rebecca Stone Thornberry that utilizes a cast of 18 students alongside professional actors.
Timeline
November 5, 2026: Drag Me Away opens at Studio One at The Weidner.
November 12, 2026: The Flying Corpse opens in University Theatre.
Industry Dynamics
The university's participation in the World Premiere Wisconsin festival reflects a trend of academic institutions leveraging local theater networks to increase the visibility of faculty creative research. This approach helps regional theaters fill their stages with original, locally developed content.
Local residents can attend the premieres at The Weidner and the University Theatre starting in early November. Tickets provide the public with access to original works that have been years in the making.
The takeaway
These productions demonstrate the value of long-term collaborative development in university theater programs. Local attendees can support the arts by viewing these faculty-led performances during their limited runs this November.
Further reading
Learn more about local performance arts through the Puppetry section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Inside UW-Green Bay News.
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