Guest Blogger: Amanda Grillo

Coming up March 24th and 25th, we have the theater club's first short play festival. Completely student run, this festival will showcase published plays as well as two original student works. These plays are performed, designed, and directed by the students. As one of the student directors, I can't begin to tell you about how proud I am to be a part of this festival. This is my first time directing outside of classes and I am absolutely thrilled to be directing Smitten written by Mark Harvey Levine. The entire experience has shaped me as a director, actor, designer, and even an audience member. It has definitely impacted how I will look at future productions and has given me even more respect for the various positions involved in making a production happen. Let's meet some of my other fellow directors shall we?

Upon the embarking of tech week and opening the production, I had the pleasure of talking to two of the people responsible for creating the hideaway and the world of The Nether. I spoke with the sound designer, Alec Smith, and the set designer, Andy Esborn. They allowed me to pick their brains for a little as I learned about their position and their inspirations for this production.

It's that time of the semester! The first week of March transports the Bucknall theater at the University of New Haven to Jennifer Haley's cyber world of The Nether. I was lucky enough to get an exclusive first look and talk to the cast about what the process has been like and what you can expect when you come to see the show. Let's find out what they have to say. Shall we?

I recently had the pleasure of joining classmates in the participation of the 49th Annual Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for Region 1. I found myself immersed in a world of talented future theatre professionals and current professionals that helped to mold my experience and bring me one step closer to accomplishing my goal.

For those that don't know, I personally identify as a 'techtor'. This term came to me one day when I was scrolling through Pinterest. It means an actor who is also a techie. Most people will pick one or the other and solely focus on one. That is honestly great for them. I, however, find that I am not alone in my adventure to learn everything. Several people that I've worked with are actors that also do tech or are techies that also act.

It's everywhere. Body Positive ads and videos work its way into the media on practically a daily basis. Stores are expanding the sizes they carry, girls are encouraged to embrace their curves, but all the same a photoshopped fantasy takes over our minds thinking what the ideal image is. I decided to take a look at how this affects the theatre world that I am so blessed to be a part of. I surveyed one hundred random, anonymous participants. The survey was distributed to several different theatre pages on social media where participants have a wide range of experiences and opinions. I also had the pleasure to interview Michael Kennedy (a student at the University of New Haven), Stephen Sheperd (a recent alumnus of the University of New Haven), and Diana Dart Harris (a professor at the University of New Haven whom has degrees in both dance education and exercise science).

A big part of show business is typecasting. There are 'types' that people fall into. These can be based around age, race, gender, and personality. Some people this as an opportunity to play to their strengths. I once participated in a workshop where the instructor told us to 'know our types'. He then began to call people out one by one: 'You're a Fierstein. Try looking at Edna Turnblad or Tevye.' 'You're a Broderick. Look at his roles.' 'Streisand. You have a lot of options for material.' He compared us to already well known household names in the theatre world. What about embracing who you naturally are? Why be the next insert celebrity here , when you can make a name for yourself and be original? There are stock characters that people naturally gravitate towards with ease whether it be by look or by personality, but if people get locked into these types it begins to be all they are seen as. To some people, these types can be seen as limiting. There's not much variety in roles if they play the same kind of part over and over. Actors should try to expand their range of roles when possible. The popular belief of what is attractive doesn't necessarily need to be the leading players driving the action, but just because someone who isn't conventionally attractive drives the story doesn't mean it is an ugly duckling tale. Dramaturgy also comes into play if a character description is explicitly influencing the script. That being said, I've seen several productions where the characters look phenomenal. They are a perfect depiction of how the story describes, but the talent was subpar. It was very clear that a different person was a much better fit, though they might not have been the perfect image. This idea got me thinking: Just because you look the part, does that mean you deserve it?

In taking the class this semester, I learned so much about how theatre makes an impact on our community (yes, that is the class title and it is self explanatory). I learned about other theatre companies make their impact such as La Poca Nostra, the Yes Men, and the San Francisco Mime Troupe. I got the chance to research issues affecting our communities and collaborate with my classmates to make art addressing those issues. This show was certainly one for the books. With a minimal amount of rehearsal time, we put this show together within a matter of weeks. Everyone took on a wide array of responsibilities and I couldn't be prouder of my classmates. Here is what some of them had to say about their experiences:

Welcome Back! Decisions have been made and by the time you read this article we are merely days away from displaying our work and findings from the semester. Our title has been finalized as ?em-p?-th?. If you notice or it needs to be explained, this is the phonetic spelling of empathy, which has been the overall theme to our work. Our company has been hard at work in rehearsals and in the classroom. I decided to get an inside scoop from my classmates on their thoughts about the production and the class this semester as a whole. Let's get started shall we?

On November 19th, we played our last performance of Our Town at the University of New Haven. Every show had a unique element to it. Thanks to our dramaturg, Dr. Margaret Savilonis, and our helpful reliable team of ushers, the program contained an insert asking us what we would put into a time capsule, referring to the Act 1 speech from the Narrator. At the end of the show, to the audiences amazement, they walked out to the lobby which had their answers (which were collected at intermission) projected onto an image of the night sky. Like any show, we were sad to see it end. We learned about each other and ourselves through this process and we grew closer as a department.

Welcome back! By the time you see this article we will be 2 short days from OPENING NIGHT! Tech week is a time people dread, a time people love, a magical time where everything comes together. I decided to find out how my fellow cast members survive this week and comprised a not so short list of things that can help make this stressful time a little easier for everyone involved.

This week takes a turn to the future well, sort of. The future of Act three is the topic of the week. We find ourselves in an implied graveyard with rows of chairs and the inhabitants of those chairs represent the gravestones of the dearly departed.

As stated last week, the concept of family is a very large aspect of this production. Last week, we had the pleasure of meeting the Gibbs family. This week we get an inside look at the perspective of theatre and the production from the Webb family.

The concept of family is a very large aspect of this production. The cast becomes a family through bonding; the script features two every day families. This week, we have the pleasure of meeting the Gibbs family and getting an inside look at their perspective of theatre and the production.

Welcome back! This week's article features an art form that a production of Our Town would not be complete without: PANTOMIME! For those who don't know what pantomime is, I decided to give you the gift of the Oxford Dictionary definition:

Getting off book not everyone's favorite part, but a necessary one in the rehearsal process. Once the book is out of your hand, you can move freer and explore the character more. You can really dive into specific choices when you aren't preoccupied by the book taking up space in your hands. How does one get off book, you might ask? Well here are some tips and tricks based on what I've learned in my experiences, with input from some of the cast from Our Town.

Music is in the air at the University of New Haven as the Theatre Club prepares for their third cabaret. The tradition started last Fall under the direction of Robert Vaccaro, who also directed the Spring Cabaret 'Cabaret 2: Electric Boogaloo'. Upon Vaccaro's graduation, the Cabaret was passed to the direction of two time cast member Jared Reynolds. I had the pleasure of speaking with the director, choreographer, and a few cast members about their experiences with Cabaret III.

Welcome back! Now, the first article was called a first look , the second was meet the director , and I suppose you can guess what the third will be Stage Managers! This show is graced with four. One stage manager, two assistant stage managers, and an actor. In the name of metatheatricality, Thornton Wilder constructed a stage manager character that acts as the narrator. I was lucky enough to get the chance to discuss the show and their roles, with Kate Herr (the stage manager) and Zach Fontanez (who plays the stage manager).

Welcome to the second installment of the behind the scenes look at the University of New Haven's production of Thorton Wilder's American classic, Our Town. For those who are just joining us this week I have the pleasure of guiding this journey from the rehearsal process all the way through closing night.

The season has officially begun at the University of New Haven. Our season opener, Our Town, has officially begun the rehearsal and I am honored to be a part of this amazing cast as Lady in the Box, Man Among the Dead, and a member of the Choir. I am thrilled to be able to bring you behind the scenes as we bring Thorton Wilder's American classic to life at the Bucknall Theatre.