Arts, Etc.Theater

Festival spotlights student talent

Protesting that the apple on display sets a bad example because it was not grown organically, Cally, (left) played by Bianca Shehata, confronts Ropet (Crystal Arangua) as Moonshot (Nicki Jo Brandt) admires the wonder that is “The Apple.” Little do they know the apple is not a work of art, but has simply been left there by the janitor. / photo by Chrissy Zehrbach
Protesting that the apple on display sets a bad example because it was not grown organically, Cally, (left) played by Bianca Shehata, confronts Ropet (Crystal Arangua) as Moonshot (Nicki Jo Brandt) admires the wonder that is “The Apple.” Little do they know the apple is not a work of art, but has simply been left there by the janitor. / photo by Chrissy Zehrbach

Andres Rivera
Staff Writer
photography by Chrissy Zehrbach

The directing classes showcased their talents by hosting a five-day mini festival from March 6 through March 10 in both the Dailey and Cabaret theatres. These plays covered a variety of subjects from comedy to more serious matters.

Students were encouraged to choose a play that was not hard to stage and that would reflect their training as actors and directors.

“It’s a collaborative effort with actors and designers in organizing everyone’s thoughts and ideas into one great show,” Keith Watabayashi, a junior theater major, said. Some of the plays performed, “The Boy with Stories in his Pockets” and “The Game of Life,” were written by students.

Sunday was the first of the five-day festival, which featured four plays. The first play was “Duet for Bear and Dog” by Sybil Rosen and directed by Samantha Chung. The light operator was Tanya Wilkins, who also took part in designing along with Melody Rahbari. This play entertained the audience with a conversation between a dog and a bear played by Anthony Guerrero and Rahbari, while in the midst of humans.

Making a connection with the ‘main beam’ from the apple, Moonshot hears the apple communicating with her. “The Apple” was directed by Jonathan Serret. / photo by Chrissy Zehrbach
Making a connection with the ‘main beam’ from the apple, Moonshot hears the apple communicating with her. “The Apple” was directed by Jonathan Serret. / photo by Chrissy Zehrbach

The second performance was “Today’s Special” by Greg Vovos and directed by Kristin Van Tilburg. Diego Salazar and Rahbari designed it. The third play was “Faerie Tales” by Arleen Hutton and directed by Rhiannon Cuddy. Tanya Wilkins and Trisha McCormick designed it. The final performance for the night was “Adaptation from Sin City.”

Monday, the festival continued with four more plays. The fist play was “The Game of Life” by Van Tilburg and directed by Zack Johnson. The set design was by Nick Solis and Jessi Garber. “The Game of Life” ventures into the afterlife where two angels, played by Anthony DiBendedetto and Joey O’Neill, play the Game of Life.

“It was really good and entertaining,” Lisa and Jack DiBendedetto said. “It was thought provoking.”

The second performance was “Fireworks” by Megan Terry and directed by Watabayashi. The lighting design was done by Rebecca Campana. This play expressed the life of a military family after World War II.

“I had really talented actors that liked the script and worked in the characters well,” Watabayahsi said. “It was a really easy process. They were open to ideas and had good ideas to bring.”

Pretesting the play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Finuella (Tanya Wilkins) totes the slogan “Fairies have rights” and “Midsummer misrepresents fairies” as she tries to get people to sign her petition. “It’s not a dream, it’s a nightmare,” she said. / photo by Chrissy Zehrbach
Pretesting the play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Finuella (Tanya Wilkins) totes the slogan “Fairies have rights” and “Midsummer misrepresents fairies” as she tries to get people to sign her petition. “It’s not a dream, it’s a nightmare,” she said. / photo by Chrissy Zehrbach

The third performance was an encore presentation of “Duet for Bear and Dog.” Lastly, “The Boy with Stories in his Pocket” written and directed by Tony La Scala was performed. Kameron Taylor and Suzanne Riker designed it.

“It was done pretty well,” freshman Ricardo Chavez said.

Tuesday night featured five plays. The first play performed was “Penguin Blues” by Ethan Phillips and directed by Annette Trejo. The second performance was “The Flying Doctor” by Moliere and directed by Gurerero. Natasha Bartoo and Alexia Megalemou designed it. The last three plays presented were encore presentations of “Faerie Tale,” “Fireworks” and “Adaptation of Sin City.”

Four plays were presented on Wednesday. The first was an encore of Tuesday’s “Penguin Blues.” The next play was “The Stronger” by August Strindberg and directed by Siddeequah Shabazz. The design was done by Elí Hernandez. The third performance was “Here We Are” by Dorothy Parker and directed by Kirsten Ogden. Margaret-Suzanne Tipton and Maureen Medina were in charge of design. The night ended with “The Apple” by Jimmy Brunelle and directed by Jonathan Serret. The design was done by Dhimiter Kuremeno and Diego Salazar.

Thursday, the last day of the mini-festival, featured six encore presentations. First was “The Game of Life,” followed by “ The Flying Doctor,” “Here We Are,” “The Stronger,” “The Boy with Stores in his Pocket” and “The Apple.”

Andres Rivera can be reached at arivera3@ulv.edu.

Realizing he has seen Finuella once before at a protest in college, Nick (Steve Doltar) attempts to figure out why she has not aged since that event years ago. It is not until the end that he realizes she must be a fairy. “Faerie Tales” was directed by Rhiannon Cuddy. / photo by Chrissy Zehrbach
Realizing he has seen Finuella once before at a protest in college, Nick (Steve Doltar) attempts to figure out why she has not aged since that event years ago. It is not until the end that he realizes she must be a fairy. “Faerie Tales” was directed by Rhiannon Cuddy. / photo by Chrissy Zehrbach
Sitting down for a friendly conversation at a coffee shop on Christmas Eve, Mrs. X (left), played by Taline Baghdadlian, soon discovers the woman she thought was her friend, Miss Y (Gretchen Cooper), was having an affair with her husband, thus explaining his odd behavior. / photo by Chrissy Zehrbach
Sitting down for a friendly conversation at a coffee shop on Christmas Eve, Mrs. X (left), played by Taline Baghdadlian, soon discovers the woman she thought was her friend, Miss Y (Gretchen Cooper), was having an affair with her husband, thus explaining his odd behavior. / photo by Chrissy Zehrbach
Following the confrontation, Mrs. X storms off, leaving Miss Y alone, confused and not as strong as she once was. “The Stronger” was directed by Siddeeqah Shabazz. / photo by Chrissy Zehrbach
Following the confrontation, Mrs. X storms off, leaving Miss Y alone, confused and not as strong as she once was. “The Stronger” was directed by Siddeeqah Shabazz. / photo by Chrissy Zehrbach
Andres Rivera, Web Editor
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