The one-act play “Love/Sick” was performed in the Blackbox Theater in Malone Hall on Monday, Nov. 6, and Tuesday, Nov. 7.
Though previously the event was a compilation of several one-act plays directed by student directors for their Directing II class, “Fall Shorts” became a single one-act play directed by Jesse Graham, a lecturer in the department of theater and dance.
Because of a shortage in students able to take Directing II this semester, a gap was left to determine what shows would be performed in its place.
Graham said that not only are the plays important for the Directing II students, but the shows also gave underclassmen and those who may not have made it into one of the main shows a chance to participate within their majors and gain career experience.
“I stepped in to direct a piece for the students to still be able to perform and still be a part of,” Graham said.
The piece performed was entitled “Love/Sick,” written by John Cariani. The story is a dark comedy of nine scenarios, all based in the same reality, each displaying the trials of love and the pain that comes with being in love.
Graham was excited about her students’ progress with rehearsals.
“One of the great parts about being a teacher is watching (the students’) growth because most of the time it’s incremental,” Graham said. “I was excited to see (their performances) click in their minds.”
The performance Tuesday night had a large audience that squeezed together into the 45-seat Blackbox Theater.
“I thought the first night went really well, but (Tuesday) night the audience and playing off the audience was phenomenal,” said Patrick Jackson, a junior theater major from Troy.
Jackson played in two scenes, including “Singing Telegram Man,” which told the story of a man paid to break up with a woman via singing telegram.
Miranda Walton, a senior theater major from Alabaster, performed in the one-act. She said that the confidence of the cast was inspired by the feedback from the audience and that it was a successful show overall.
The show’s messages about the reality of love inspired the cast to list characteristics they desire and are repulsed by on the back of the program.
“The list correlates with the show’s meaning,” Walton said. “Every character had a different desire in their partner and then a different repulsion, and I think it had to do with taking our personal opinions and ideals and putting it into our characters, making the performances more believable.”
The department of theater and dance’s next performance will be “Fall Dance: A Student Choreography Showcase,” which will feature student-choreographed dance pieces. The performances will be Nov. 13-17 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 18 at 2:30 p.m. in the Long Hall Dance Studio.
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