The Student Players' one-acts search out freshmen actors
By Maria Smith
Scene Editor
Tonight's performance of the Freshmen Four plays will feature a variety of students and a variety of themes in a humorous and intriguing collection of one-act plays.
The plays are directed and acted entirely by freshmen, with the previous year's directors acting as producers. For many freshmen, the plays are a great opportunity to get involved with something they enjoy and meet new friends.
Older students and professors also use the shows as an opportunity to scout out new talent for shows in upcoming years. Although there are around 20 sophomore students acting regularly in club and mainstage shows, only a few freshmen immediately audition for theatre productions on campus.
"You have to get your foot in the door," said freshmen director David Tull.
"The freshmen plays are a less intimidating way to do that," said director Mark Ross.
The plays are also an opportunity for freshmen who have never acted before to take a shot at the art of theatre.
"We have engineering majors, business majors, FTT majors — it's what most plays are," said Tull. "There are a lot of closet theatre majors out there."
The plays have been a tradition on and off for several years and used to be run by the First Year of Studies, but had disappeared until the Student Players took the initiative to start the program up again last year. The directors from the last year recruited directors for each of the four one-acts from the few freshmen participating in earlier productions in the year.
Most of the freshmen jumped at the chance to direct their own plays.
"I begged," said Ross.
The plays are a chance to show their talent to a broad audience. The shows usually get a large turnout of theatre majors, freshmen supporting their friends, and other students and professors around campus.
This year's production includes four short plays ranging in setting from a golf course to a living room in the Deep South.
"For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls," a play by dark humor legend Christopher Durang, features Al Klein as Lawrence Wingvalley, a retarded son rather reminiscent of Forrest Gump whose mother used to be a Southern charmer but has turned into an overbearing woman with little grasp of how to treat her less than normal children. Lawrence's brother Tom and a girl named Ginny confront the mother with something far outside her reality when she tries to find a wife to take Lawrence off her hands.
"Wasp," by Steve Martin, shows the members of a dysfunctional family trying to decide between an unappealing reality and the far more idealistic fantasies inside their heads. Joe Weiler appears as a father full of insightful truisms but with less of a grasp on reality.
"The Ugly Duckling" by A.A. Milne also features a slightly dysfunctional family, but the light mood is a change from the more twisted plots of the first two plays. Complete with a princess and a charming suitor, this creation of the author of the more famous Winnie the Pooh books is a refreshing departure from cynical humor. John Klein plays the character of the overly vain king with keen wit.
"Foreplay" by David Ives explores the dating scene, or possibly the seduction scene, in all its slightly gruesome details and awkward moments through the creative portrayal of three different dates with Chuck, a player who will never admit his long history with the sport of miniature golf. Joe Garlock, Adam Fleck and Daniel Smith as the three Chucks, and Lauren Simendinger, Melanie Larrabee and Joanna Paxton as the three dates, work together with remarkable timing to cleverly portray the situation.
The Freshmen Four plays will be presented tonight in Debartolo 101 at 7:30. Tickets will be $3 at the door.
All Scene Stories for Wednesday, May 7, 2003
