Multiple Themes Highlight One-Act Play Festival
Evoking a variety of emotions, from serious to silly, the annual Alma College One-Act Play Festival features the directed productions of students and faculty.
Alma College Theatre presents seven one-act plays at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10 and Saturday, Dec. 11 and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12 in the Remick Heritage Center, Strosacker Theatre. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors 62 and up, and free for Alma College staff, students, and youth 18 and under. Seating is reserved. Call (989) 463-7304 for ticket information.
A scene from a past Alma College Theatre production.
The festival opens with “On the Edge,” written by Craig Pospisil and directed by theatre intern Joshua Olgine. Gene is on the edge of a 10-story New York City apartment building when his friend Sammy tries to help him get down.
“Sammy’s way of helping him is pretty non-conventional,” says Olgine. “While the characters may not be laughing, the audience will find the scene funny. The play is dealing with a serious subject, but in a lighthearted way.”
Olgine says directing is like “playing with a windup toy.”
“You adjust the knob a little and see what happens,” he says. “Then you tweak something else and look at that. You’re work is never really done as a director.”
Nati Salgado, a senior from Kissimmee, Fla., directs “Two Truths and a Lie” by Mary Michael Wagner and “Misreadings” by Neena Beber.
“Directing one-act plays is a great way to develop in the theatre because you get to work intimately with a small group of students and put up a great show,” says Salgado.
Tara Bouldrey, a senior from Findlay, Ohio, directs “Electric Roses,” written by David Howard. Sara is struggling through an abusive relationship with her husband Russ, who claims to love his wife despite his reprehensible behavior.
“I picked this play because I liked the theatricality of it,” says Bouldrey. “Two scenes happen at the same time, allowing the audience a chance to see different sides of the same story. It’s an interesting love story.”
Bouldrey is more often an actor than a director. She says the switch has been challenging.
“Directing requires you to know everything about the play, from the script to the stage directions,” she says. “You really need to be able to communicate with the actors clearly.”
The festival also includes “Gave Her the Eye” by John Sheehy, “Game Theory” by Peter Sagal, and “Between Two Friends” by Stephen McFeely. Associate Professor of Theatre Joe Jezewski directs each.
“Joe Jezewski had a lot of people in his acting classes, and he wanted to give them an opportunity to participate in the production,” says Bouldrey. “Thanks to him, we have a lot of new people performing who haven’t been on stage before.”
Since the debut of the One-Act Festival 16 years ago, Alma College Theatre has presented nearly 100 one-act plays. Dozens of students and staff are involved in the production, from stage managers to costume designers to actors.
“The best part of the One-Act Play Festival is that it is run completely by the students, from the directing to the designing of costumes and lights,” says Salgado.
Some of the plays contain explicit language and adult situations.
Posted: Sun, November 28th, 2010 at 4:10PM
