Barnstormers unveil talent at freshmen one-acts
If the Freshman One-Act Showcase this past weekend was any indication, the Barnstormers are going to have a lot of talent on their hands for quite a while.
This year's showcase featured Â- besides quality performances - humor and nonsense, as well as a number of call-outs from enthusiastic freshmen in the audience.
The first play, "Surprise!," by Mark Harvey Levine, concerned a couple in a restaurant, on the verge of breaking up because of the boyfriend Peter's (freshman John Wedemeyer) ability to see into the future - but only by two minutes.
The girlfriend Whitney (freshman Mary Strong) is infuriated by his habit of finishing the ends of her sentences and predicting her breakfast orders. The performance was funny and well-timed, and Strong's exaggerated acting fit the mood.
For example, the directors, senior Cara Selick and sophomore Carol Santoro, had the actors throwing a lot of waffles.
Overall the play was a cute but corny sketch Â- with the waitress, played charmingly by freshman Sarenka Smith, ending the show by kissing Peter.
The second show, similarly comedic, was "Family 2.0" by Walter Wykes. The scene opens with freshman Seth Ripman barging into a woman's home and announcing that he is her new husband.
The wife (freshman Tricia Decker) protests, but he wants to throw off his old life and start something new. He tries to win her over with flowers and poetry.
Decker's reactions, from trepidation to enthusiasm, showed great comedic control, right in line with the over-the-top, jokey feel of the show. Ripman too had a commanding grasp on his character. Even the actors playing the kids, freshmen Tyler Kim and Cassandra Gandle, were eager to yell along with the others - enthusiastic acting if not artful.
And of course, when the ex-husband (freshman Alec Meacham) comes home, he joins the craziness by becoming the family dog. The directing by sophomore Lauren Lutz, which involved a lot of exaggerated gestures, helped keep this play coherent, but with hilarious results.
This year's showcase featured Â- besides quality performances - humor and nonsense, as well as a number of call-outs from enthusiastic freshmen in the audience.
The first play, "Surprise!," by Mark Harvey Levine, concerned a couple in a restaurant, on the verge of breaking up because of the boyfriend Peter's (freshman John Wedemeyer) ability to see into the future - but only by two minutes.
The girlfriend Whitney (freshman Mary Strong) is infuriated by his habit of finishing the ends of her sentences and predicting her breakfast orders. The performance was funny and well-timed, and Strong's exaggerated acting fit the mood.
For example, the directors, senior Cara Selick and sophomore Carol Santoro, had the actors throwing a lot of waffles.
Overall the play was a cute but corny sketch Â- with the waitress, played charmingly by freshman Sarenka Smith, ending the show by kissing Peter.
The second show, similarly comedic, was "Family 2.0" by Walter Wykes. The scene opens with freshman Seth Ripman barging into a woman's home and announcing that he is her new husband.
The wife (freshman Tricia Decker) protests, but he wants to throw off his old life and start something new. He tries to win her over with flowers and poetry.
Decker's reactions, from trepidation to enthusiasm, showed great comedic control, right in line with the over-the-top, jokey feel of the show. Ripman too had a commanding grasp on his character. Even the actors playing the kids, freshmen Tyler Kim and Cassandra Gandle, were eager to yell along with the others - enthusiastic acting if not artful.
And of course, when the ex-husband (freshman Alec Meacham) comes home, he joins the craziness by becoming the family dog. The directing by sophomore Lauren Lutz, which involved a lot of exaggerated gestures, helped keep this play coherent, but with hilarious results.
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