The two first-year students in the professional director training program present Really Really and Middletown as the newest Realism Projects.
Two directors are avoiding artificial style and artistic convention in favor of realism and truth in their realism projects.
The two first-year students in the professional director training program are presenting Middletown and Really Really as this year’s pieces. Middletown and Really Really will be performed for two weekends in Kantner Hall Room 303 and Room 308.
The projects are teaching the first-year directors the “nuts and bolts” of their craft, Allison Epperson, the director of Really Really, said. Focusing on the basics of working with a cast and crew, the directors can gain an understanding of and experience with the process.
“(Realism is) the base line,” Epperson said.
In the second year, the directors direct their style projects, and in their final year, they direct a mainstage production as their theses.
Will Eno’s Middletown is an existential comedy in the style of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. It explores small-town life to address humanity’s fear of mortality.
“(Middletown asks) incredibly large and sometimes impossible to answer questions about life,” Ben Stockman, the director, said.
While Middletown pushes the boundaries of realism with its language “straddling the line” between naturalism and poetry, Stockman said it has a realistic view.
“It also is incredibly recognizable when it comes to the worries that we all share about what it means to be a person,” he said.
A similar relatability can be found in Epperson’s choice.
Paul Downs Colaizzo’s Really Really takes place at a fictional university the day after the party of the year and follows its characters through the subsequent consequences. The play reveals the lies, ambition and class warfare of relationships presented with a facade of loyalty.
“I wanted to present something that was relatable,” Epperson said.
Really Really contains mature subject matter and could be triggering to the audience, as it addresses rape and includes a graphic depiction of the subject.
“Every time I read this piece, I have questions,” Epperson said. “My loyalties shift. It is a constantly shifting process.”
In showing the physicality, Epperson said her biggest concern was the proximity of the audience to the stage.
Stockman said the plays are getting them ready for the challenges of employing unconventional spaces, offering an opportunity for both designers and actors to be challenged.
“(The classroom) forces us to be mindful of how we use space,” Stockman said.
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Both directors previously took part in Much Ado About Nothing, acting as assistant directors to Dennis Delaney, the head of the professional director training program, in the mainstage production.
“(Much Ado) was a great way to get our feet wet in this environment, getting to know the actor talent pool and production staff,” Epperson said.
Stockman said Delaney’s work influenced him in how he allowed his own cast’s instincts and intuition to flourish.
“I just leaned heavily on the input of my actors and allowed them to explore the possibilities,” he said.
But Stockman said that part of the challenge really has no end.
“We could probably keep exploring those (possibilities) for at least two rehearsal periods,” he said. “But I’m really happy with where (we) ended up.”
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