Twelve plays, 12 directors and one stage. As the curtain rises at the beginning of each scene, the soon-to-be-graduates will produce a series of one-act plays including actors that, this year, will include four students outside the theater department.

“We decided to allow all majors to audition mainly because the theater department just isn’t big enough to cast all of the plays we have,”  Nicole Neely, a senior in theater arts, said. “On top of that we just find it really exciting to work with new talents.”

The directors, juniors and seniors majoring in theater, produce each play as part of their capstone project for their degree, each choosing plays that speak to them individually.

“My play is called traces of memory, and I chose this play because not only is it deep and full of emotion, there’s also a bit of humor added in there as well. It’s a connection of people, and an understanding of one’s self, and I’m really excited to direct something so much more than what I have,” Katie Hamilton, a senior in theater arts, said.

Each director held auditions in separate areas throughout the theater department Feb. 7 however only a few non-theater students auditioned hoping to see their names posted on the doors of Fain Saturday afternoon. Four got parts, including one high school student: Megan Piehler, mass communication; Hope Harrick, art; Rheannon Pionek, biology; and Leah Hernandez, high school student.

“If there’s one thing I can say about theater, it’s definitely that it’s different every day,” Morgan Burke, a senior in theater arts, said. “A lot of people ask me, why aren’t you a teacher, or why not a nurse, and well that’s because it can get kind of monotonous after a while, and theater, no matter what it’s a different kind of crew you’re working with, or it’s a different type of vibe. It’s a surprise every day to come to work, and you just learn to appreciate those surprises, and work with them, and that’s why I love it so much.”