Theatre students are "Making A Scene" again

Quirky, zany, deep, dark…these intriguing words could describe the one-act plays that will be presented during the last week of classes in Radford University’s Theatre Department. Each year, with the coming of flowers and warmer breezes and the imminent end of the spring semester also comes “Making a Scene: An Evening of One Acts.” This project of the advanced directing class features each aspiring director’s final project presentation. The number of one acts depends on the number of students and this year that total is seven.

Wesley Young, professor of theatre and instructor of the class says, “The students get to choose their material, with few parameters, so anything goes, pretty much.” Young went on to say that, the result is usually a potpourri of the “way-out, profound and sometimes wacky.”

“It’s great to see these young directors exercising their choices, and then figuring out how to put their visions onstage.”
Each director is responsible for directing his/her play but the class functions like a small production company to get the evening on the boards.

“The main idea I can draw from this experience is this, if the director doesn't have a clear idea as to what they want, no good work will get done,” says Chris Phillips, a sophomore from Pulaski, Virginia.

“It's almost like captaining a ship, if I don't know the heading; we're all just treading water until something happens.”

This year’s class is Shawn Carver, Sarah Coleman, Madeline Murchie-Beyma, Christopher Phillips, Guy Ritchie, Tori Unterberger and Megan Ward.

The plays perform in alternating repertory from Wednesday, April 26, through Saturday, April 29, in the Hawes Studio Theatre. Each evening begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are free to all but seating is limited and should be reserved online or picked up at the Porterfield Box Office (540-831-5289) during the week of the show. The Box Office is open from noon to 6 p.m. and one hour before the start of each performance.