On March 8-11, the Washburn University theatre department will be putting on a special production of three student- written plays.

The accumulative title for the production is “Wet Ink” and will display the top three writings from Penny Weiner’s, associate professor, playwriting class last fall. Weiner and Linda Smith, theatre secretary,  will be directing these plays to allow their playwrights the opportunity to be cast into roles and watch their own plays come alive.

For many of the blooming playwrights, this will be the first of their writings to be produced.

“Auditions were surreal,” said Heather Ives, senior theatre major. “Hearing something that you wrote being said aloud and acted by other people is such a strange and wonderful feeling.”

Ives has been an active part in the theatre department and is president of the theatre’s Players Club. Her hopes for this production are simply that “the show is well received and that the actors, directors and crew have fun while producing it.”

Arissa Utemark, student playwright and a senior mass media major emphasizing in film and video, also has many goals for the production of her play as part of “Wet Ink.” Her main goal is to get the audience thinking about the situation evoked in her play and enjoy it at the same time.

Utemark shared a little about what really inspired the idea for her play.

“It was a Dr. Pepper commercial actually…” said Utemark.

Utemark was a finalist in a theatre festival a few years ago with one of her previously written plays and is not new to writing.

“They couldn’t drag me out of the library when I was younger,” said Utemark.

Elise Barnett is the third student playwright that will be displaying her work in “Wet Ink.”

Like Ives, this will be the first time a play of hers will be produced for the stage. Barnett is a junior English major, emphasizing in creative writing and will be stepping onto the stage as a member of the cast for the first time.

“It’s been a long process writing this play, and it’s always a bit nerve racking surrendering it to be produced, but I have a lot of faith…” said Barnett.

“Wet Ink” will highlight each of these short plays as they hit the stage in March. Like many of Washburn’s productions, students are admitted for free with their Washburn ID, and it is only $8 for non-students.