So off the bat I understand that you may be wondering what this blog post is all about. As the frequent reader of this blog you are, you know I often come on here to talk about shows to look forward to at Cabaret Theatre. But the title of this blog, this? Why, this has nothing to do with anything going on at Cabaret. That, dear reader, is where you are wrong. What if I told you that this weekend you had an opportunity to attend a special Cabaret Theatre event that in some way combines these words and concepts into one night of entertainment. You don’t believe me? Then please! Read on!
Tonight marks a special night on the Cabaret Theatre calendar, for tonight is opening night of The 2019 Directors’ Showcase! Directors’ Showcase, or what many people around Cabaret refer to as “DS”, is a special opportunity for new directors to direct short plays and dip their toes into the metaphorical water that is Rutgers thee-ay-ter. In the words of DS coordinator Zachary Hassel, “Directors’ Showcase is in many ways the first opportunity of the year for many new faces to get their foot in the door of Cabaret Theatre. It provides many opportunities for aspiring actors and directors to hone their skills as artists”. Now this is not to say that there aren’t some familiar faces in this season’s DS cast, but frequently one might see actors sitting in the director’s chair, and directors stepping onto the stage. How exciting!
This Directors’ Showcase consists of five short plays that each run about 15-20 minutes. The overall production is short and sweet, with a diverse range of shows to make up its inventory. Even in its early stages of tech week, I was impressed at how these directors and actors had taken their roles in stride and produced five successful and individual stories. Frankly, I think they’re all lying to my face when they say they’ve never done this before.
Let’s start with “Sure Thing”, directed by Maggie Kelly.
I got to see Maggie Kelly’s first performance at Cabaret Theatre when she was in “Almost, Maine”, and the first thing I witnessed when coming in to write the blog post for DS was Maggie giving notes to her cast like an absolute pro. See what I mean about actors to directors! Thrilling!
Sam Sobel and Sabrina Caruso in “Sure Thing”
Now, a few things came to mind as I watched this play from the audience. The first one was boy, first dates can really be hard. You can totally screw up the words that come out of your mouth and your chances are completely ruined. Gone. Well, not for these two. “Sure Thing” is a fun little scene that shows two people meeting for the first time. There are many different scenarios and ways that this night can turn out for the two, and throughout the play the characters run through every different option. Each time they “get it wrong”, time resets, and they have another chance to perfect their interaction.
The second thought that came to mind was, ‘Oh jee, I recognize this dialogue". Upon realizing I did “Sure Thing” my senior year of high school for my final Acting project, I flashed back in time to a complete nightmare. I mean serious nightmare. Sabrina and Sam pull this off so SO much better than my scene partner and I did. Thank god. You may recognize Sabrina from her recent and wonderful appearance in Cabaret Theatre’s “Almost, Maine”, but Sam’s a newcomer here! I asked him what his experience was like throughout the process and what it was like to be a part of a Cab production,
“The process has been pretty relaxed while still maintaining a high level of professionalism from everyone involved. The best part of DS was how engaged each of the directors were with their respective shows, and despite being relatively short, it felt like we spent a lot of time really unpacking the shows” - Sam Sobel
Now let’s talk about the play “Stratocumulus”, directed by Andres Moledo.
Kyle Cao and Carson Cummins debuting in “Stratocumulus”
Carson Cummins is someone I have known to be the tech queen of Cabaret Theatre for the past year, the girl has done anything and everything besides this. And now to see her atop a roof acting for the first time is to me what DS is all about. I’ve seen Andres in a million shows (even though he probably doesn’t know it) and now I get to see him in action as a Director. And Kyle is a bright beaming new face to Cabaret. These three combined make for a perfect storm of talent that created such a cool product that is nothing short of impressive. You would not think that any of the parties involved were taking their first stabs at acting and directing. Here are some inspiring words that Carson and Kyle had to say about their experiences working on DS:
“It’s definitely been a learning experience, and I’ve had to overcome a lot of personal roadblocks about performing, but DS has been a great opportunity to explore acting that I’ve never had before…”
Carson I literally want to hug you.
“It’s been great to work with only one director and one scene partner – I’ve been getting a lot of individual attention that’s been super useful as a new actor. It has also been really fun to see all of the other shows develop and see all of the great and different things we’re bringing to the stage” - Carson Cummins
“I think that the directors all did a fantastic job casting each role and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to work with such talented and insightful people. Andres, my director, has been extremely helpful throughout the rehearsal process, and has not only elevated my acting ability, but managed to make every rehearsal fun” - Kyle Cao
Now, onto our third play of the evening, “Cheating Death”, directed by Henry Strehlo.
Erin Bogert and a sleeping Michael Flynn. Grace Hazen is in the shot too— if you squint your eyes hard enough maybe you’ll see her. If you dare, at least.
“Cheating Death” is a play that teaches how life’s little pleasures are sometimes the things we end up wanting to hold onto the most. The piece is also an exciting contrast to some of the other content thorughout the night, but despite the suspense it brings it also continues to bring humor and comedy to the stage. Both Erin and Michael are making their acting debut in DS this year, yet another example of how this production can bring new opportunities for everyone involved.
“Being a part of the Director's Showcase is such an amazing and unique experience. Being able to be a part of a production here while having a lesser time commitment is exactly what I needed to be able to jump headfirst into Cabaret. Also getting to work on scenes with different directors and actors gives me a broader perspective and makes me that much more excited to work with them in the future!”
- Michael Flynn
You may be wondering where Grace Hazen is if you can’t make her out in this photo. Well readers, I did that on purpose. We have been fortunate enough to see her appear in other projects on stage, but never quite like this… I’m going to let that reveal be a suprise to those who make the right decision and get their tickets for DS.
Show number four, “The Philadelphia” directed by Josh Rosenzweig. Wow, I have never written about so many shows for one blog post.
Katie Toledo, Sam Sobel and Jason Bediako in the Philadelphia (hint: they’re not really in Philly)
“The Philadelphia” is a manic representation of when you’re having a really bad day and you can’t seem to get out of your funk. The characters are faced with challenge after challenge that put constant roadblocks between them and their normal daily actions. This play is honestly hilarious, and showcases the talent of old-timers like Katie Toledo combined with newbies Sam and Jason. Katie, who is both a seasoned director and actress at Cabaret Theatre is switching roles with Josh Rosenzweig who is a seasoned actor in just this season alone! Directors become actors, and actors become directors, love to keep seein’ it. Upon reflecting on what it was like to be a member of a cast for this production, Jason described his experience as “challenging in a fun and productive way”, yes Jason, do tell us more!
“DS is a way for everyone, including the directors, to showcase what they have to offer as people who haven’t been in this space. This experience has been great and not stressful at all, the best part was getting to know the different styles of the directors and working with a great cast. I’m excited to entertain the audience and keep them engaged in the performance" - Jason Bediako
The last show I am going to tell you all about is "Ashes Leave Stains”
an original play directed by Prava Punnamraju.
Micheal Flynn, Sabrina Caruso and Jason Bediako in “Ashes Leave Stains”
Similarly to “Cheating Death”, “Ashes Leave Stains” brings juxtaposing darkness to the Directors’ Showcase stage, dealing with heavier themes that are slightly more incriminating. The interrogation of Jason’s character as he is facing counts of arson and involuntary manslaughter is understandably difficult to watch, and the story ultimately resolves in a conclusion the audience will not see coming. Freshman director Prava Punnamraju had some words to say about what it was like working on this project with her cast,
“It’s been so smooth! This is my first college theatrical experience, and it was so much more professional than I could’ve imagined. Being a Director was so much fun, and I got to learn a lot from my cast as well.”
In my interview questions I also thought it might be a good opportunity to ask the directors what they felt they gained from this experience,
“Being surrounded by people with more experience than me helped me hone my directorial skills a lot more. I learned to focus on the smaller things as well, to really perfect the production” - Prava Punnamraju
I really hope I’ve been able to give you a small taste of each of the five shows in this years Directors’ Showcase, as well as highlight how awesome of an opportunity this production is for people interested in all aspects of theatre.
Before I let you go I’m going to sign off with one more quote from Kyle Cao, who I think perfectly summed up my feelings for this blog post. Until next time!
“The five plays that make up Directors’ Showcase have been carefully curated to exhibit the abilities of both the actors and directors to express each story. As a result, each vignette is a densely packed microcosm of emotion. As with any great work, comedy and tragedy delicately interweave the entire production, leaving one breathless by the end.
Also, you get five plays for the price of one $5 student ticket. Not bad.”
The 2019 Directors’ Showcase opens tonight Cabaret Theatre
Show Dates: Friday November 22nd 8pm, Satruday November 23rd 8pm, Sunday November 24th 7pm
Tickets are available for purchase at:
https://sabo.tix.com/Schedule.aspx?OrgNum=4785&fbclid=IwAR0SV_05YgJGqUyNCPFE_iite1T8slhSrb1FhYc4vw2nl-jtm6aSeDUux1w
For more information visit our Facebook event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2321889074788441/
Photos courtesy of John Hennessy