By Grant Terwilliger
Students participated in fully student run theater performances as part of the 10 Minute Play Fest at Chapter One and The Strand Center for the Arts on May 1.
Students in Associate Professor of Theatre Shawna Mefferd Kelty’s Theatre 416 class researched, scheduled and directed 10-minute performances on the theme of inclusive community. The students had one month to prepare.
Mefferd Kelty wanted the students to experience directing a play when all of the technical equipment and tricks disappear and the actors are forced to make their performances fit the stage.
“I had a theatre company that was nomadic. We didn’t have a home for years, and we purposefully didn’t want one. So we put theater in all sorts of places and I wanted them to have that experience of how to tell a story when all the tricks that we use go away,” Mefferd Kelty said.
Senior Nick Bernadot was the director of the play “Can Superman Smash the Klan?” by Sarah Bowden which was performed in Chapter One. Walker Alan was the director of “Dirty Dishes” by Eric Braman which was performed at the Strand Center for the Arts.
The other plays that were performed were “Matriarchy” by Robin Berl, “Spoons” by France Violet Jones, “Mimo” by Luis Roberto Herrera, “As the Crow Flies” by Zach Hancock and “Honest Lesson in Self Defense” by Patricia Lynn.
Bernadot’s play was not his first choice, but it was one that he had thought about for a while and had been interested in in the past.
“I was looking at pictures, just to see if there was anything about the radio adventure or whatnot. And I noticed a couple of comic panels. I was like, ‘it’s very interesting.’ Quite a few of them have a similar style. And then I noticed in my Amazon wish list, I had the comic of Superman smashing the klan for years, and I never realized,” Bernadot said.
This production was not the first time that Bernadot has directed. Bernadot is a theater major and film studies minor who has been working in the theater department during his time at Plattsburgh.
Directing and creating a theater or film project allows for a lot of room for adjustment to fit specifications.
“The thing about directing, especially when it comes to film and theater, is you always discover something new,” Bernadot said. “Either it works or it doesn’t work. That’s the beauty of creation.”
Scheduling was an issue that many of the directors ran into when they were creating their productions. Walker held a few rehearsals a week for a month making sure that everyone could practice and perform the best that they possibly could. Walker chose his play as a result of the themes within the play
“I thought it would be better to communicate individual days where it all works so it’s certain that everyone will be there,” Walker said. “I think any work with any kind of queer themes is something I connect to.”
Communication and organization is one of the most important parts of directing any production. You are directing the show you are in charge of what happens, when it happens and how it happens. Mefferd Kelty teaches her class the importance of every aspect of being a director and putting on a play.
“I think communication might be the number one skill set a director has to have, and it’s not just communicating with actors. It’s communicating with your stage manager, communicating with the production manager, communicating with the design team, communicating with your faculty to let them know that you changed rehearsal,” Mefferd Kelty said.
