Fringe plays My Body, by Rachel Bublitz (top), and Cindy and Julie, by Bruce Kane (bottom).
On January 28 and 30, Student Directed Scenes (SDS) — a production of short plays and scenes directed by members of the Honors Directing Class — took the stage for the annual performance in Gelb Theater. Performances were set to take place on both January 28 and 29, but anticipating a snow storm to hit Wallingford that Saturday, the second show was moved to Sunday, January 30.
The production opened with Kaleigh O’Leary ’22 directing Bite Me, by Nina Mansfield, followed by Cristian Castro ’22 directing Bang for The Buck, by Shari D. Frost; Oona Yaffe ’23 directing the opening scene from Glengarry Glen Ross, by David Mamet; Gwen Madill ’22 directing Cindy and Julie, by Bruce Kane; Mia Millares ’22 directing Domestic Violence, by Frederick Stroppel; Jamie Houghton ’22 directing 3am Wake Up Call, by E.R. Schultz; Wylie Doak ’22 directing Post-its (Notes On a Marriage), by Winnie Holzman and Paul Dooley; and Lara Stone ’22 directing My Body, by Rachel Bublitz.
At the beginning of winter term, the class selected and discussed their scenes and held auditions for casting. With only several weeks to put together the production, the group worked grueling hours outside of class to prepare for the showcase.
“The time commitment was rough. In the week leading up to the performance, we were in the Gelb from six to nine p.m. every single night, and I commuted in. The time constraint was also rough, because we had so much less time than we were supposed to,” Yaffe said.
Nevertheless, the process proved to be rewarding and eye-opening for the directors, as well as for the actors.
Noah McBride ’23 acted in Yaffe’s Glengarry Glen Ross, which focused on the competition between a group of salesmen and tackles themes of masculinity and ambition. He said, “Working with a student director, the lovely Oona, was a new but exciting experience. I also really appreciate Oona pushing me as an actor and allowing me to explore a new, more morally gray character.”
SDS also provided an opportunity for directors to test their leadership skills. “I found that I’m a bit of an overbearing director. I have a very specific idea of what I want, and I wish I was better at just letting people act because it can be so great when people improvise, when people think things up on their own, and I need to step back a little bit on that,” said Yaffe. “I’m learning that as a director, what you’re looking for from actors is the ability to make choices, the ability to go beyond the actual convention of what’s on the page. Nobody wants someone who is boring, and I don’t think that ever hit me the way it did when I was doing this.”
The community aspect to SDS also contributed to the success of the production and the positive experience the group had.
Ximena Castillo ’24, who acted in Madill’s Cindy and Julie, a feminist take on of some traditional fairytales, said, “For the actors, it doesn’t feel like there is a lot of pressure. It just feels like a community, and we’re helping each other.”
Millares, who directed a darker piece called Domestic Violence, by Frederick Stroppel, about the downsides of a near-perfect spouse, said, “I think my favorite part is seeing everyone else’s shows because everyone else’s shows are so good, and I am so happy that I’m getting to look at what my classmates have been working on for the past month.”
Eager to witness the work of their peers, community members poured into Gelb, and many had to be turned away due to the limited capacity. The production was very well received. Cadence Secreto ’23 said, “I could tell how much commitment and work went into the scene[s] from how excited the actors were to be out on stage performing.”
