One had only to sit in on the Studio One-Acts last week to know Wabash theatre students are taking an active role in their curriculum and learning a lot in the process.
The Theatre Department presented Studio One-Acts last Thursday, November 8 and Friday, November 9 in the Experimental Theatre of the Fine Arts Center. The production was a series of nine one-act plays written, performed, designed, and directed by Wabash students. Last week’s performances were the culmination of two months of preparation and two weeks of actual rehearsal by theatre Professor James Phillips’ Directing (THE-207) and Intro to Acting (THE-105) students.
Eight of the nine plays were written by present and former students. The ninth play, Point of View, was written by Amina McIntyre, Assistant Director of the Malcolm X Institute of Black Studies.
Patrick McAlister ‘10, Dustin Foster ‘09, and Nelson Barre ’08 directed the plays.
Thirteen actors performed the 28 roles, including James Morey ‘11, Daniel Masterson ‘09, Andrew Weeks ‘09, Erik Shaver ‘09, James Kennelly ‘11, Eric Selsemeyer ‘11, John Hogge ‘10, Nate Cravens ‘10, Steve Ellis ‘09, Craig Engledow ‘08, Luke Robbins ‘11, Rich Fern ‘10, and IT Assistant Marcie Rudoff.
Although the plays consisted of only one scene, last week’s performances required a significant amount of preparation, adjustments, and time. The directors chose the plays early in the semester. The actors were given their roles a month ago. Rehearsals began almost three weeks before the production. And, according to Professor Phillips, the students lead the process.
“In terms of the projects themselves, the directors chose the scripts,” Phillips said. “They cast the acting students. They planned out the rehearsal schedules. It was very much student driven. Cody Grady and Anthony Morton, who designed the sets and lights and sounds, worked with Professor Gross on that, but it was their designs and their execution of them.”
The plays covered diverse subject matter. Seven Deadlies, the opening play, centered on Bob and Lucifer on Bob’s way to the seventh circle of hell. Lucifer, played by James Morey, doubled as a game show host trying to explain to Bob, played by Daniel Masterson, how he ended up in such a lowly place.
Bob had made love to a sheep, embezzled money from a church, and entered the Special Olympics as a wheel chair athlete, but found he was going to the seventh circle of hell because of unpaid parking tickets.
The last production of the night, French Revolution in about Five Minutes, used masks and participation from the audience to illustrate the mob mentality that can occur in situations like the French Revolution.
Whether producing a comedy or drama and whether the students functioned as actors, directors, or technical staff, they all felt they learned something from the experience.
“This is my first official production, and I learned a lot about stage acting,” said Daniel Masterson. “I did one play that was a comedy and one that was more dramatic. In the comedy, it was fun to learn that you have to play to the crowd, play more the entertainer than the actor. In the drama, you have to play more the actor to help the crowd visualize what this character’s going through.”
Luke Robbins has been performing for people since he was a child, so he felt at home on stage.
“I had a blast working with my director, and the writers didn't really get too involved with our scenes,” Robbins said. “They trusted the directors to do their thing, which was wonderful. The freedom we were afforded was something I had never experienced before as an actor, and I really liked that.”
Dustin Foster developed an interest in directing from the experience.
“I chose three plays that make some political statement and, after finding what that statement is, tried to emphasize it,” Foster said. “I enjoyed creating with the actors and encouraging them to resist apprehension. Overall, the experience was wonderful and very fulfilling. I look forward to directing again.”
Anthony Morton feels the experience required all the students to develop as people.
“Cody [Grady] and I were responsible for technical support,” Morton said. “Cody took care of the sound and set design while I took care of props and light design. What I like about this experience was putting the show together through the cooperation of students. While this may have been an amateur college production, we definitely had to communicate and collaborate on a professional level to get things done without wondering where time went.”
Professor Phillips thinks the Studio One-Acts were a great opportunity for the students.
“It’s very uncommon to try to do this sort of thing at the undergraduate level,” he said. “It makes it very Wabash, the idea of taking student plays with student directors. It’s a first directing class. It’s the first playwriting class. They should be proud for themselves for what they have accomplished.”