USC Theatre To Premiere Original Student Solo Plays In December

The USC Department of Theatre and Dance will present the MFA Actor Solo Shows, an evening of original solo theatre works, December 10-11 at the Lab Theatre. 

Admission is free for the performances, which will begin at 7pm nightly. Tickets are available online at sc.universitytickets.com or at the door.  The Lab Theatre is located at 1400 Wheat St. on the first floor of the Booker T. Washington building. 

Seven original pieces, which have been written, designed, and directed by each participant, will be performed. Six of the works are by second-year MFA acting students, for whom creating a solo work is an academic requirement. An advanced undergraduate theatre student is also showcasing an original work during the presentation. 

Theatre professor Erica Tobolski has been leading the students through the development of their shows over the semester, starting with questions that are core to the creative process.

“What do I want to say as an artist, and what stories do I want to tell?” she asks. “And what is unique about that storytelling in the theatre, where you have a live audience to interact with?” 

“The process has definitely been challenging for me,” says MFA actor Olan Domer says of producing Fine, an exploration of how we mask our reactions to societal stressors. “I've had to navigate transforming a story that would be very easy to tell on film into the theatrical space, trying to rely on what the character is able to show through their action instead of relying on what the viewer would see on screen. It's been great to pull in all the skills I've collected and strengthened over my time at USC, especially in how movement tells a story and how to center yourself as a performer.” 

“I have never written a play before,” says MFA actor Elaine Werren, “and I don't know if I ever would have without this project. This process is something I will remember and carry with me into anything and everything I do as an artist.” Werren's Liminal Lines considers the concept of motherhood as personal identity through a young woman challenged with both a possible pregnancy and the recent passing of her mother.

Also performing works are MFA acting students Dominic DeLong-Rodgers, Didem Ruhi, De'on Turner and Elizabeth Wheless, and senior theatre major John Ballard. Assistant Professor Lauren Wilson is acting as dramaturgical consultant and Instructor Scott Keith will oversee the technical elements of the production.

Tobolski says audiences can expect an evening showcasing a wide range of stories and viewpoints. 

“These are pretty personal scripts,” she says. “Some are quite autobiographical, while others draw elements from personal experiences, whether that's dealing with life challenges or responding to what's happening in our culture and society.”

“These are works from young people who are meeting big challenges for themselves and trying to work through major decisions in life. That's something everybody can relate to.” 

For more information about the MFA Actor Solo Shows or the theatre program at the University of South Carolina, contact Kevin Bush by phone at 803-777-9353 or via email at bushk@mailbox.sc.edu. 

To post a comment, you must register and login.