Trey Rutherford – “Company” by George Furth
If there is anything that you could say to anyone coming to see the show, what would it be?
I would say that the best audience member is one who is engaged and wants to find something from the material and is someone who is open minded and ready for anything.
What can you tell me about your scene?
I’ve always loved Company ever since I discovered musical theatre, which was when I was very young, probably around 13 or 14 when I first got into it. And I’ve always loved Sondheim, I think that his music is spectacular and his lyrics are even better, but Company speaks to me because I’ve always enjoyed non-traditional storytelling, and that’s what company is, it’s a series of vignettes that are brought together in the end by this one man whose story we follow, but the people around him make him interesting. And I think that’s just such an interesting part about this show, not to mention the music, the themes of marriage and love and commitment, which are so prevalent in 2016 and I figured this would be one my few shots that I may get at directing even a little of one of my favorite shows, so I figured I might as well bite the bullet and take the plunge and see what happens.
What’s been your most rewarding experience working on the show?
My most rewarding experience has been diving in with the cast. I have an excellent cast tt’s been such a journey to hear everyone’s different ideas about the show, about the characters, ideas that I might never even have thought of. That’s just part of the beauty of working with such a large cast that I don’t think many directors have gotten to the chance to do because large cast are very daunting, but when you have so many more voices in the room, you have so many more opportunities to find the perfect solution.
What has been or is your favorite part about Directing Scenes?
I’ve been involved with Directing Scenes since I was a first semester freshman. The freedom is what’s best about it, from both an acting and directorial stand point. So often in a public school setting we have to be careful about what we choose to put on, but it’s just a reality that we have to face, but With Directing Scenes, we have absolute freedom. If I wanted to put on a show about a gay gypsy and have them dance in their underwear for 20 minutes, I could do it. It’s really encouraged to explore yourself as an artist, and I think that’s what directors do every day, that’s what actors do every day, it’s what designers do every day and once we’re done with one project we move on, and we grow and as soon as we stop growing we stop being an artist.
Why do you think Directing Scenes is so popular?
I think the student body is looking for something different, something new and fresh. They’re also our peers. I would much rather see something created by someone my age because they’ll understand my struggle, my opinions, my ideals, better than someone who is 40 years older than me. It’s a generational difference, it’s a difference in taste, and I think the closer you can get to your own generation the more you’re going to connect with the work. And that’s no fault to any faculty, it’s just appealing to get to see your friends, it’s appealing for non-major students to come and watch, it’s free, and who doesn’t like something free and it’s also a chance to explore art in a way you can’t normally, even from a spectator’s stand point.
Sam Stratton – “Baby in the Basement” by David Matthew Barnes
If there is anything that you could say to anyone coming to see the show, what would it be?
Be prepared. You’ll be crying one second, laughing the next, so be prepared for all types of scenes there’s literally a genre and a play for everybody, we even have musicals. It’s going to be be fantastic.
What can you tell me about your scene?
It’s post-apocalyptic scene, kind of demonic scene, it is a horror and it’s really awesome, but I can’t really say more than that or I’ll give away the ending.
What’s been your most rewarding experience working on the show?
I love working with new people. I always try to cast people who haven’t had the experience with bigger shows, so I love seeing the “ah-ha” moment when they finally feel comfortable in their character and in the scene. I love watching things come together. So being out there and see the final product was just incredible.
What has been or is your favorite part about Directing Scenes?
Being able to come up with a twist for my particular play, it has been awesome. I love being creative in that sort of sense, and being able to define your creativity, and being able to pitch those ideas and saying “Yes, please do that, cause that’s really awesome,” and people are basically saying “I like your idea.”
Why do you think Directing Scenes is so popular?
I think people like the variety. I think people like that we have so many different scenes in one night, and you can see different directing styles, you get to see different characters, different actors, so you get to see people you don’t see that often. They like seeing what the directors can do and we like giving it to them.
Clay Garland – “The True Love Story of My Parents” by Elizabeth Meriwether
If there is anything that you could say to anyone coming to see the show, what would it be?
Read the dramaturgies people have written, it’ll give you a lot of context for what the scenes are about. Look for the choices people have made within the scene, because that’s really what the class is about. We’re making very solid decisions that are clear and justifiable.
What can you tell me about your scene?
It’s about a fifth grade girl who is trying to piece together the narrative for her parents because she saw her parents separate and then eventually get back together, but I think the impact that has, seeing another relationship that’s supposed to be so important to you or so intense, to see that not be perfect, or not what you would expect it to be forces you to think a lot about what a relationship is what it’s supposed to be.
What’s been your most rewarding experience working on the show?
Olivia Pelton, Amelia Pelton’s daughter, is in this, and she was also in Chicago, and True Love Story and Chicago are very different shows. I worked with Olivia, I acted alongside her in Chicago, and then I cast her in my scene as the kid. She’s still in high school, and getting to see the dynamic of her talent and getting to hone it a little bit and seeing her change shape from Russel stage to the Blackbox was really cool, especially on a project that I care so much.
What has been or is your favorite part about Directing Scenes?
Everyone is involved. I think it’s great way for actors to showcase their skills to their peers. For directors, Directing Scenes is probably the most freedom you will ever have. There are a lot of eyes on your work, there’s some oversight but not much. You can make huge wild decisions that may or may not work, but you’re allowed to make them and to have an audience with a lot of eyes on them. People talk about Directing Scenes for years after they happen.
Why do you think Directing Scenes is so popular?
I think it’s because it’s all student run. It’s all peers getting to see their peers’ work, unadulterated, unmediated, it just is. So getting to be a part of this student culture is exciting for a lot of people. I think it’s a lot less intimidating than having a professor saying “I’ve got my doctorate in this, this, and that, I’ve studied here, here, and here, here is my art. That can be intimidating. It shouldn’t be, because art is for everybody, but I think to the masses it probably is and so to see someone who you know or who you hang out with is a lot less intimidating.
Kelsey – “F to M” by Patrisha Wedding
If there is anything that you could say to anyone coming to see the show, what would it be?
You’re in for a night of surprises. All of us have twists on the scenes, so even if you think you know some of the shows, you definitely don’t.
What can you tell me about your scene?
It’s about a transgender boy, whose parents are completely against him being who he is as a male
What’s been your most rewarding experience working on the show?
I think the most rewarding experience has been watching the actors going from nothing to everything with their characters. It’s really interesting because you go in with one idea of how you think the characters going to be, but when you let them do their research it’s completely different than you’re intentions of the character, and usually it’s more beautiful than what you had in mind because the actors fall in love with their characters. That’s something that I love, the fact that there’s this passion with finding who they are as that character, and that really has been amazing.
What has been or is your favorite part about Directing Scenes?
I’m so excited to get everyone into the Blackbox to see what’s going on. It was exciting to get to start working on a set because it made it much more real. But really just getting to see everyone doing what they need to be doing was really, really beautiful.
Why do you think Directing Scenes is so popular?
I think it’s our most popular because it brings the school together because it’s open to everyone. Our auditions are open auditions so everyone can audition even if you’re not in Theatre, which makes it a lot more fun for those people who are not in Theatre. It brings all different majors into our program and shows them what we do and how we do it. Basically it makes a big community, and of course all of the non-theatre majors who will tell their friends who will tell their friends and so on.
Elizabeth Kelley – “Fools” by Neil Simon
If there is anything that you could say to anyone coming to see the show, what would it be?
This is one of the coolest things we do at the Theatre Department, I think, because it’s all student ran, and there’s such a variety of shows and plays that are happening that it’s a really good thing to come to if you don’t necessarily know a lot about Theatre. You get a little bit of everything in one night. And get here early, if you want to.
What can you tell me about your scene?
It’s about a town of fools that are cursed with stupidity. In order to break this curse, a teacher comes in and wants to educate, but he doesn’t know that the town is cursed. Once he finds out, he doesn’t know if he wants to do it anymore, until he sees this beautiful girl and falls in love. And through love the curse is broken.
What’s been your most rewarding experience working on the show?
I personally do love comedies. I think I’m pretty funny, so I get to put a lot of myself onstage, and what I think is funny and hopefully other people will laugh. Hopefully.
What has been or is your favorite part about Directing Scenes?
I went to Directing Scenes my freshman year and I thought “Oh my god, I know the perfect play that ultimately I would want to direct” and it was Fools. It’s been a long time coming, and it’s really cool to put it to fruition because it was a dream three years ago, and now it’s here, and I’m so much more equipped to direct this scene now than I was back then
Why do you think Directing Scenes is so popular?
It involves a little bit of everyone. We of course have the Theatre people, but then we also have so many people from outside of the department. It’s this big hodge podge of awesome people who come to have a good time and enjoy some theatre.
Katy Gramling – “Belleville” by Amy Herzog
If there is anything that you could say to anyone coming to see the show, what would it be?
Be prepared for a lot of awesome. Everyone approaches this process in a lot of different ways, so everyone has their own style with their individual show.
What’s been your most rewarding experience working on the show?
It’s been so interesting to grow as a director from just last semester, because I directed for Directing one last semester, and this is Directing two now, it’s seeing your growth and its seeing your actors growth along the way.
What has been or is your favorite part about Directing Scenes?
My favorite part has been training them to do contact improvisation which relates to my dance minor, so they actually have to put weight on each other and go off of that to move on through the rest of the scene, so that weight shift propels them through that.
Christina Bignotti – “Stage Kiss” by Sarah Ruhl
If there is anything that you could say to anyone coming to see the show, what would it be?
Expect a lot of cool variety and expect the unexpected.
What can you tell me about your scene?
It’s about a couple that are cast as lovers in a play, and their romance translates into their real lives. So there’s a play within a play and the romance unravels and it’s really fun.
What’s been your most rewarding experience working on the show?
My most rewarding experience is definitely getting to see the growth in the actors, and also my own growth as a director. For Directing one I was very sure of everything that I wanted, and for Directing two I was not very sure what I wanted, so it took a lot of experimenting and it took a lot of courage in myself to do the right thing and direct the right thing but it all comes together in the end, and that’s a really good feeling.
What has been or is your favorite part about Directing Scenes?
I love learning about plays I’d never heard about. I love to see the twists that all the directors put on the different scenes and see fun spins that I may never have thought about before, it’s awesome to see that creativity.
Joanna Grissom – “Sound of Music” by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse
If there is anything that you could say to anyone coming to see the show, what would it be?
Expect the unexpected.
What’s been your most rewarding experience working on the show?
My most rewarding part of the process is getting to do a show I love and getting to do it in a complete different perspective. It’s been a challenge, but I think that’s been the most rewarding part of the process.
What has been or is your favorite part about Directing Scenes?
My favorite part of the process is actually tech. I love getting to see everything come together, I love seeing how the lights influence the costumes that we decided on and how the actors responded to that. It’s really fulfilling to get to see my dream come alive.
Nicole Mandato – “Reasons to be Pretty” by Neil LaBute
If there is anything that you could say to anyone coming to see the show, what would it be?
Have an open mind and be willing to take in what’s in front of you.
What can you tell me about your scene?
It’s basically like the mis-communications in relationships, and how some things you say might not land in the right way with another person the way you want to. So my whole theme is to eb the three of an argument, there’s one side, two side, and then the truth.
What’s been your most rewarding experience working on the show?
I feel like I cast the perfect cast. They’ve been so amazing, and willing to put in the work that needs to be done. I’m working with Madison Smith, Connor Kocks, and Evan Freeman, and they are fantastic people and their hilarious. The scene is not what most call “funny”, but they are so good at finding the funny in the seriousness, which I think any heavy drama really needs, and they’re so good at finding those moments and it’s been amazing to watch.
What has been or is your favorite part about Directing Scenes?
I love the diversity within Directing Scenes. It’s so interesting how everyone is so different. No matter what night you come, it’s going to be so different from scene to scene to scene. You’ll never be bored. And working with the fellow directors and seeing their processes has been really interesting, getting to talk to everybody about their trial and error.
Why do you think Directing Scenes is so popular?
Our peers like to see things that we do, and because it’s so student run. It’s just cool toyou’re your peers doing something that you’ve seen adults do and that you’ve seen the faculty do, it just cool to see students doing what they want to do in the future.
Kayleigh Mikell – “Lysistrata: A Women’s Translation” by Drue Robinson
If there is anything that you could say to anyone coming to see the show, what would it be?
You’re in for a lot of talent, a lot of hard work, and you’re going to be entertained. No matter what you’re into, there’s something here for everyone.
What can you tell me about your scene?
It’s a modern day version of the greek play Lizza Strada, which is about these women whose husbands are at war, and to get them to come home they go on a sex strike. The play goes on to get their treaty signed and get peace, but I’ll be doing the first scene where they actually plot what they’re going to do.
What has been or is your favorite part about Directing Scenes?
I enjoyed working with the students especially, because I get to work with a lot of students that I’ve seen around or had classes with but I’ve never gotten to direct before, and now I get the chance and I get to see everything that they can do and it’s been a pleasure. It’s been a great process with just these people that I get to call friends.
Why do you think Directing Scenes is so popular?
It involves a lot of people. You have people from all over campus not just from the Theatre department like some shows, and you get to see their talent. You get to see talent that you wouldn’t normally see. It’s a huge community event.
Megan Crites – “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
If there is anything that you could say to anyone coming to see the show, what would it be?
Reserve your expectations. Don’t expect to see anything you’ve seen before.
What can you tell me about your scene?
It’s an adaption of the book written by Jane Austen, and in short, it’s about the struggle of listening to your heart and trusting your own mind. The story is one that’s near and dear to my heart, and it’s been so amazing getting to watch my cast bring it to life.
What’s been your most rewarding experience working on the show?
My most rewarding experience I would say has been getting to work with such an amazing and dedicated cast who have worked so hard for me and for this performance and really pulled it all together so beautifully in such a short rehearsal time.
What has been or is your favorite part about Directing Scenes?
Definitely getting to see all of the scenes that my friends and classmates have directed and getting to see their insight and creativity and their own unique directing styles.
Why do you think Directing Scenes is so popular?
I think Directing Scenes is so popular because it is completely student run, and students love seeing work put on by their friends and peers. I also believe it is so popular because directing scenes gives performance opportunities to many students that aren’t usually involved in theatre and people love to watch their friends perform.
Phillip Wray – “Woman and Scarecrow” by Marina Carr
If there is anything that you could say to anyone coming to see the show, what would it be?
Well I hope they enjoy the show and I hope they appreciate the diversity in the scenes we chose and understand all the hard work the actors and directors put into their scenes.
What can you tell me about your scene?
It’s basically about a woman accepting her death.
What’s been your most rewarding experience working on the show?
I ended up casting all freshman and one theatre major. So it’s been really rewarding getting to watch them all evolve as actors.
What has been or is your favorite part about Directing Scenes?
My favorite part is getting the experience of how it is to be a director. There is no hand holding with our professors so we plan all the rehearsals, we decide the blocking, and everything else just like how it would be directing out in the real world.
Why do you think Directing Scenes is so popular?
Directing Scenes is so popular because it reaches out more to the community. A lot of the casting that happens is not only in the theatre department but in the other department as well. And there’s not as much pressure for people who audition for something small like this compared to a big main stage show.
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