Loyola Greyhound

Issue date: 4/15/08 Section: Arts & Society

Media Credit: Jesse DeFlorio/Greyhound Hilary Stingley and Katherine Egan also star in the adultery-themed Woody Allen play, "Old Saybrook," that is set in the countryside of Connecticut.

Start with some weird, adulterous escapades. Stir in some seemingly innocent bystanders and a kidnapped writer. Sprinkle in an eerily realistic "painting" of a Loyola College actress and a heartwarming poem. Finally, pour in enough alcohol to make a small country float. With these enjoyable, if somewhat off-track, elements at their foundation, the first round of the student-directed one-act plays wrapped up last weekend.

This year, amid the chilling spring weather, Loyola's Directing II class chose five one-act plays to present to the college community as a part of the Evergreen Players. The plays are entirely student run, from the directing to the set work.

Nicole Iovino, President of the Evergreen Players commented, "[The one-act plays are] really fun, because [they're] student directed. So, it's all student work put into it, it's something that we've all been working on since we were freshman here. Like, learning [about] different parts of the theater, and how to direct, you know, you take directing classes. It's a really great opportunity for the five directors to actually direct their own shows. Four of them are seniors, so the majority of them were involved in the one-acts when they were freshman. It was our freshman year and our senior year, so I don't know if they have a set plan of how often they'll do it. But it's a lot of fun for everyone involved who was involved in the one acts their freshman year. That is my biggest joy I get out of it, that it's all student directed, and everything is by the students, and they've all worked so hard. So it's a really cool thing."

This past weekend, the first two plays of the series, Woody Allen's, "Old Saybrook" and, "A Nervous Smile" by John Belluso took the stage. "Old Saybrook," directed by senior Matt Anderson, centered on a story that brought elements of the soap opera to mind. With a cast consisting of three couples and a single writer, the story seemed to highlight the absurdity of some human relationships. Two couples are living in a house together when a third couple visits; they had lived in the house previously. At first, everything seems normal except for the more-than-jovial friendliness that one of the house residing couples, Norman and Sheila (played by Paul Zajac and Katherine Egan) display towards the visitors (played by Colin Reilly and Katie Cowan). Soon, though, a secret notebook filled with the details of the affair between Norman and Jenny, Sheila's sister, is discovered, resulting in an over-the-top fest of anger and accusatory remarks.

Continued...

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