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With finals approaching and project deadlines coming down to the wire, both students and faculty feel the stress at the close of the semester; however Ouachita’s theater department provides the perfect theatrical escape.
Every December, the Play Directing class composes the One-Act Play Festival. This is where students choose a one-act play to direct, cast their show and have their hand in every technical aspect of their production. Junior Garrett Whitehead, a student in Play Directing explained, “Once your show is cast you have to block the show, design your set, your costumes, your sound and your lights”.
This past Thursday and Friday, December 6 and 7, the student directors finally got to see their show come to life in front of an audience of fellow students, faculty members and family.
The Play Directing students have been working on their one-acts the entire semester and they’ve really enjoyed getting to witness the finished product, “My favorite part about directing a one-act was watching the whole thing unfold…I would give my actors and action…combining our visions would always produce an unexpected and unique result”, said Michelle Levy, a senior director in Play Directing.
While it was exciting to produce these plays there were some bumps along the way that both the directors and actors experienced. Whitehead mentioned, “My biggest struggle was letting go, and realizing that I couldn’t be in control of everything the entire time”. Chad Burris, sophomore actor in Gemma Guiomard’s one-act Juliet by Romulus Linney said about his character, “It was a very tragic story and character and I had to really step out of my comfort zone in order to play the character believably”.
The directors may have had an idea of what they were in for when undertaking this massive project, but once they got started they realized exactly what being a director entails. Levy stated, “Directing a one-act was more work than I expected…I was in charge of making sure my cast felt comfortable…and…confident enough to enjoy themselves on stage”.
Once all the sweat and tears had been shed , everyone involved in the process was thrilled to see it all come together. Burris explained, “I definitely gained a lot from the experience”. Whitehead exclaimed, “My favorite part about directing a one-act was watching all the pieces slowly come together in the palm of my hands”!
With Play Directing, the students in the class (who are some form of a theater major) are able to hone their skills, not just as performers but as individuals working behind the scenes as well to make everything work together on the theater stage.
