Student Playwriting Festival Springs into Action with New Cast and Crew
By Katie Kilkenny ’10
News Reporter
Although the performance is still a long way off, work on the highly anticipated 17th annual Student Playwriting Festival is already well underway. This year as in others, the festival consists of four plays, each written, directed, and acted by students, for students. The plays include “Hotel Hell,” written by Francisca DaSilveira ‘10, “Shooting Blanks,” by Marley Hyman ‘09, “Blood, Danes, and an Unfinished Play,” by Alexander Hanini ’10, and “Meeting,” by Nevada Trager ’08. Recently, auditions for the festival (nicknamed SPF) were held and the plays were cast. Jennifer Bashain ’08, Nathaniel Moore ’08, Ben Firke ’08, and Kimberly Solow ’08 will direct the productions.
The plays in the festival each have a fascinating and unique storyline, courtesy of their talented student writers. Director of “Blood, Danes, and an Unfinished Play,” Firke summarizes his play enthusiastically. “The actors and I are working on a play about two playwrights who meet by chance and discover that they are writing the exact same play.” The piece was written by Alexander Hanini, a sophomore who Firke describes as “a rising star on the Choate student playwriting scene.” The second play, “Hotel Hell,” directed by Bashian, has an entirely different tone. She explains, “‘Hotel Hell’ is the story of a woman who ends up in Hell after she dies. She meets zany and eccentric characters as she tries to understand where she is, including a crazy old woman, a receptionist with attitude, and a Gothic maid. [The portrayal of] Hell as a hotel in modern times asks the audience the question, are you next?” Trager, writer of “Meeting,” describes the focus of her play, a story “about failing to meet expectations at a school not unlike Choate, in which the main character is in various conversations with others at the school.”
For a smooth transition from script to a live-action play, it is essential that the writer and director work together to form the final production. “If [the director] has any questions about the script, she’ll field them to me,” explains Trager. “I have to make some revisions to the story, but for the most part, it’s hers to tinker with.” Each director’s main concern is bringing the writer’s vision to life in each play. Firke is quick to establish a working relationship with his writer. “[The writer and I] are going to try to meet for coffee to discuss the script. He’s also invited to pop in on any rehearsal he wants.” Bashian agrees that the relationship between writer and director is key. “For SPF, the writer and the director have a symbiotic relationship. Someone once used the phrase: writers put it to the page and directors put it on the stage. After a few edits, I’m pretty sure that the play will be at its best.”
Practices are already well on their way, as actors and directors meet everyday after school to work on their performances. Madeleine Morris ’10, an actor in “Hotel Hell,” says that actors must prepare for their role in the same manner as for any other production, which includes writing character bios in order to better understand the person they are to play. The actors are not the only ones who have a message to convey. Each of the students involved in SPF has his or her unique aspirations. Bashian hopes to “put up a performance that evokes emotion in the audience, have a good time, and create a bonded ensemble.” Firke agrees, hoping not only to “create an intriguing piece that will educate and entertain our audience,” but also “to have a hell of a lot of fun doing it.” Perhaps the biggest goal of the SPF is to fulfill the concept of a “festival”. The participants do not want the show to be four individual plays, but rather a joint effort. Therefore, every Friday rehearsal is a group practice that includes everyone involved in all four plays.
The Student Playwriting Festival is both enjoyable and unique because it is entirely student-run, from inspiration to final product. Every last detail involves Choate students, including the costumes designed by Loren Olsen ’08 and the supervision of stage manager Jennifer Xiao ‘09. “[SPF] is completely different from every other Choate production. I think it’s awesome that it’s completely student-run, because it has a different vibe than other mainstream productions,” says Trager. Firke takes the importance of SPF even farther. “I think, in the almost words of Abe Lincoln, that theater by the students, for the students, of the students shall not perish from this earth.” Other participants look forward to the Student Playwriting Festival every year. “The festival is one of my favorite things about Choate,” says Bashian. “It allows each person involved in the process to learn about the realities of putting up new and unseen theatre. The creativity, energy, and passion put into those three nights is unbelievable. I’m so happy to be a part of it!”
Arline Lee ’09 and Madeleine Foote ’11 are already deep into rehearsals. PHOTO/Greg Stasiw ’11
