As part of their graduation requirements, seven theater seniors direct and produce a series of one-act plays. Since Feb. 6, directors held auditions and from there, began working on their plays to present as the last production of the year, a series that continues April 22.
“Everything that we should have learned, we put it all together in directing a play and producing it because we’re not just directing it,” theater senior Sarah Chong Harmer said. “We’re pulling together costumes, make up, everything.”
Students chose the play they wanted to direct.
“[Assistant Theater professor Karen] Dabney guided us on which would be best to produce in the environment as a director,” Kristen Lanier said.
Maddison Gould, Crystal Carter and Lanier presented their plays on April 15. Carter said she had to read a lot of plays until she found the right one. Before the semester started she chose to direct the cautionary tale, Road Trip written by Neil LaBute.
“I chose mine because it was provocative,” Carter said. “There was a sort of stranger danger but not stranger danger that I feel gets missed.”
Gould decided to go with the light-hearted play Slipping Him the Tongue by Mark Aloysius Kenneally.
“I love Shakespeare and I love comedy, and it’s just a perfect combination of both,” Gould said. “I read it and thought this is something I would love to spend a few months working on.”
Lanier chose to do The Green Hill by David Ives. It was her personal struggles that connected her to this play.
“I have a hard time enjoying the experiences I’m having now and I plan the future before it’s here and then don’t enjoy it,” Lanier said. “That’s sort of what The Green Hill is about.”
Directors Timothy Tetreaux, Michael Gilbert, Drew Davison and Sarah Chong Harmer will present their plays starting April 22.
“We have a very different set of plays than [the plays from April 15],” Harmer said. “So I don’t think the reactions are gonna be anything the same because none of our plays are anything alike.”