BY: ZIGGY SCHULTING ’18
Woodrow Proctor ’16 in Movie Title *Wink Wink*. Photo: Dante Haughton ’19
With Skidmore College’s third annual Together We Can Do So Much More 24-hour play festival, producers Sonya G. Rosen ’17 and Brandon Bogle ’16 made the nearly impossible happen once again. The event featured a series of plays that were written, cast, rehearsed, and performed in the space of 24 hours. This year, the show took place on May 4th, and the plays included Dairy Queen by Maria Lorenz ’17, Movie Title *Wink Wink*: A Disney Channel Original Movie by Mira Lamson Klein ’18 and Kara Powell ’18, Miles and the Weird, Dancy, Lip-Synchy Thing by Callum Lane ’16, Make American Great One Day, Just Do It by Theo Saroglou ’16, Forgive Me, Suzy Lee (Suzy Lee, Forgive Me) by Gabe Cohn ’16, What the Magnets See by Rachel Karp ’18, and The Postgraduate by Mackenzie Whiting ’16.
The festival allows theater students of all kinds to stretch their artistic abilities in completely new directions—actors direct, directors write, and students from outside the theater department can get their theater fix in a very concentrated single-day period. I asked three different students a series of questions about their participation in the festival. All three pursued roles other than their normal ones in the department.
PLAYWRIGHT: MARIA LORENZ ’17
Maria Lorenz ’17 is a current junior English major with a Gender Studies minor. As far as her role in the department, she typically takes acting and directing classes, so playwriting presented both a challenge and a thrill.
Her play, Dairy Queen, took a satirical angle on traditional fairy tales, using children’s characters to explore capitalism, gender normativity, and adult relationships. Hannah Baker ’16 directed, while actors Chris Naughton ’17 and Rowen Haplin ’19 brought in a youthful energy that highlighted how differently fairy tales would look if they were set in the twenty-first century. Our Prince is a gold-digger and our “Queen”—well, she’s the owner of a certain fast food franchise.
WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THE 24 HOUR PLAY FESTIVAL THAT MOST APPEALED TO YOU?
The creativity. I’m always amazed at the plays, and the acting and directing talent.
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
Believing in myself enough to write a play in one night. Sounds corny, but the whole thing took a lot of willpower to complete.
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST REWARD?
Getting to talk to everyone who was involved with my play. I loved seeing them enjoying my work, and I loved hearing their questions and opinions about my 3 a.m. brainchild of a play. The actors were so sweet, and they told me they thought my play was really fun to work with, which was really cool to hear.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE ENTIRE PROCESS?
Seeing my play performed, both in rehearsal and on stage. It was just so exciting to see my work transformed in such a beautiful and mesmerizing way.
Chris Naughton ’17 and Rowen Halpin ’19 in Dairy Queen. Photo: Dante Haughton ’19
ACTOR: RACHAEL THOMEER ’18
Government major Rachael Thomeer ’18 has been more of a spectator than a participant in the Skidmore theater scene, seeing every black box, mainstage, and workshop production since her first semester at Skidmore. A 24-hour play festival veteran, Thomeer says that the event offers her a chance to get involved without having to commit to weeks of rehearsal.
Acting alongside Kallan Dana ’19, Thomeer brought Forgive Me, Suzy Lee (Suzy Lee, Forgive Me) to life. Written by Gabe Cohn ’16 and directed by Erica Schnitzer ‘18, the play was one of the more minimalistic and spare of the seven productions, and explored the challenges of growing up feeling slightly different.
WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THE 24 HOUR PLAY FESTIVAL THAT MOST APPEALED TO YOU?
The whole day is a whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm. It’s really fun to work closely with a team that you may not have known the day before towards a shared goal. As they (or, I, at least) say, teamwork makes the dream work!
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
Line memorization and character development are tough in such a short span of time.
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST REWARD?
Simply being involved, for me. It requires tackling a role that I don’t normally take on here. I haven’t done any theater since high school except for the 24 hour plays, so it is rewarding to be a part of a show again. By the end of the day there’s a sense of camaraderie and shared accomplishment. It’s a very supportive environment.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE ENTIRE PROCESS?
I like the first couple of run-throughs in the morning, after the shows are cast, because that time is full of potential for the day. Also, the time right before the final performances when everyone from all the shows gets back together again, because we’re all in the same boat at that point—excited and nervous.
Rachael Thomeer ’18 and Kallan Dana ’19 in Forgive Me, Suzy Lee (Suzy Lee, Forgive Me). Photo: Gabe Cohn ’16
DIRECTOR: MOLLY BURDICK’17
Molly Burdick ’17 is a proud theater major, but she usually spends her time on stage. Her most recent Skidmore credit was this Spring’s mainstage production of Marina Carr’s Hecuba, where she played the role of Cassandra.
In her directorial debut, Burdick led actors Mira Chen ’19, Kristen Danyluk ’18, Kyle Ferris ’18, Billy Winter ’18, and Emmy Kuperschmid ’16 through The Postgraduate, a play written by Mackenzie Whiting ’16 that explored the fears and hopes of a character who is about to graduate from college. With Skidmore graduation looming, it was a timely production.
WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THE 24 HOUR PLAY FESTIVAL THAT MOST APPEALED TO YOU?
It’s such a fun whirlwind of creative and collaborative energy. The time constraint forces us to make really interesting choices. We don’t have time to deliberate. Also, they promised us coffee and donuts.
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
I was so nervous to direct because I’m usually an actor—I know how to take direction, but giving it is different. I was afraid people wouldn’t respect or understand my direction.
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST REWARD?
My cast was amazing. They were eager and willing to dive in and experiment, which made my job easy. And they were all such wonderful idea generators themselves. The greatest reward was seeing the mini-family I helped build in a mere 12 hours.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE ENTIRE PROCESS?
When one of my actors tried to take notes with eyeliner.
***
Ziggy Schulting is a sophomore English/Theater double-major and a staff writer for the Living Newsletter.
Philip Merrick ’19 in Miles and the Wierd, Dancy, Lip-Synchy Thing. Photo: Dante Haughton ’19
Production Credits
Producers: Brandon Bogle ’16 and Sonya G. Rosen ’17
Technical Director: Jack Schreuer ’17
Stage Manager: Michaela Whiting ’16
Lighting Designer: Chloe Brush ’18
Sound Designer: Max Helburn ’18
Costume Designers: Julia Kelliher ’18 & Leah Mirani ’18
Tech Support: Leslie Field ’18, Ariella Hakim ’17, Katie Jacobson ’18, Chris Monaco ’18, Romi Moors ’18, Nina Slowinski ’19, Mackenzie Whiting ’16.