Chris Gavaler to Debut One-Act Play at the Live Arts Waterworks Festival The professor of English’s show will screen on May 21 and 23 in Charlottesville, Virginia.

By Brian Laubscher
May 13, 2025

Chris Gavaler, professor of English at Washington and Lee University, will debut his one-act play “When Mephistopheles Met Helen” at the Live Arts Waterworks New Works Festival in Charlottesville, Virginia later this month.

The play will open with a reading on Wednesday, May 21, at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth floor of the Conover Studio at Live Arts. A second performance will be held at the same location on Friday, May 23.

Directed by Kerry Moran and featuring Aafreen Aamir, Claire Chandler and Kate Donithen, the play looks behind the scenes of “Doctor Faustus” and “The Iliad.” In it, Helen of Troy watches as Greeks and Trojans battle outside the city walls. Mephistopheles, disguised as a servant, arrives to convince her to travel to 16th-century Germany, where Faustus has sold his soul in exchange for her.

“I’ve had several one-acts performed at the Pittsburgh New Works Festival, but this is the first time I’ve applied to Live Arts,” Gavaler said. “I think this is the festival’s third year, so it’s great to be involved with a nearby theater branching into new works. I also first studied playwriting as an MFA student at the University of Virginia, so it’s fun to be back in Charlottesville.”

Gavaler, currently on sabbatical, regularly teaches playwriting at W&L during Spring Term. He has been with the university since 2010 and has written 20 plays or dance scripts and authored or co-authored nine books. He has received numerous awards, including five wins at the Pittsburgh New Works Festival.

Gavaler holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in English education from Rutgers University and an MFA from the University of Virginia.

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