Looking ahead to student-led One-Act Plays
Reflections by student One-Act directors leading up to show night.
Bethel College offers students numerous opportunities to participate in musicals and plays. This is achieved through the large spring and fall productions each year, as well as through smaller productions. One of these opportunities is through a class titled Theater Production and Direction.
In Theater Production and Direction, students taking the class have the opportunity to direct their own One-Act play. This means they participate in multiple facets of the production, including picking a play, getting the script, creating sets, and running lights and sound. These students also hold auditions for roles within the act, allowing students outside of the class to participate.
All One-Act performances, this year led by student directors Daniela Casique, Kaleb Scripsick, and Lilli Reisser, are held back-to-back, allowing students and faculty to experience all the hard work of the directors in one night.
Kaleb Scripsick, a senior Communication Arts major, is showing an act titled “Knock Knock” by Jason Pizzarello and Kathryn Funkhouser. This play is centered around package delivery and the surprises that may lie behind every door.
When asked about what audience members should expect, Scripsick stated, “My play is a comedy, so it has been really fun to produce. It should be really funny for the audience, I think they are going to like it.”
Lilli Reisser, a senior Psychology major, spoke about the challenges and joys of producing as well, in her play titled “Answers” by Tom Topor, a play speaking about the potential for abuse of power within the interrogation system.
Reisser stated, “Preparation has been chaotic at times, but I’m proud of my actors and excited to see how [the play] comes together by show night.”
Reisser continued by highlighting the fun parts of this role and stated, “I’ve always wanted to try directing in some aspect. Being able to put forth good effort and to see my actors care about their roles is a lot of fun.”
All three performances will be held in Krehbiel Auditorium in the Luyken Fine Arts Center on November 20, beginning at 7:00 pm.