Anyone who attended a performance of "Tartuffe" in the Winterterm would have seen an extravagant and meticulously rehearsed mainstage.
The cost of the costumes alone, designed by Dartmouth's costume shop, could have provided several struggling thespians with nourishment and black turtlenecks throughout 1995.
But actors also have incredible resources and opportunities available to them through student-produced theater, if they can brave the bureaucracy to push their productions to fruition. Dartmouth theater students do not have to be limited to the mainstage as their only theatrical outlet.
An example of this initiative is Pavol Liska '95, who is directing "Confessor," a production he wrote under the auspices of a Senior Fellowship. The production has been in the works since the beginning of last summer, when Liska traveled to his native Slovakia to conduct research for the play.
He then spent fall term in New York, working with the renowned playwright and director Richard Forman. In the winter, he traveled to London, where he participated in the Dartmouth Theater FSP. Now swept back into town for his last term, his direction of the production will debut in May.
"Confessor" is an exploration of the landscape of humanity in its final stage, right before it transforms from the world of the living into the world of the dead. While the play is a response to contemporary and historical political events, such as World War II and ethnic cleansing in former Yugoslavia, Liska stated that it is an attempt "to map out my personal feelings about my home country, Slovakia -- about its past and present".
Another synthesis of student writing and directing talents is the Annual Eleanor Frost Playwriting Festival, currently in its 68th year.
Drama Professor Paul Gaffney said the competition is "one of the more exciting all-student theater events of the year." The Eleanor Frost Fund was established in 1927 to provide an annual award for the best original plays written by undergraduates.
Each year the Drama Department receives 12 to 16 entries, written by a diverse group of students. A panel of three faculty judges read the plays and select the best three. A cash prize is split amongst the winners, and the plays are then produced by other students. The three plays this term are "A Night in Tennessee," (written by Jennifer Keyt '95), "The Produce King of Hub City," (written by Richard Molson '94), and "Well Wishing," (written by Rebecca Gorman '96).
Levine described "A Night in Tennessee" as a "fascinating play that deals with a small town family. It's a play filled with heat, passion, sexual tension and sensitivity."
Like Breslor, Levine continues to work with Keyt, the playwright. He mentions that this is part of the Frost experience: "starting from scratch and building up to a performance that is true to the playwright's intentions. It's important to remember that this is for the playwright." He praised the Frosts for providing an outlet for developing "innovative, fresh and exciting student theater".
"The Produce King of Hub City" is "a play about a New Jersey produce storekeeper named George Hodges," Riddick said. "The struggle for student playwrights is not to have their voice heard, but in the act of making audiences remember, rejoice, and to re-evaluate their lives," Riddick said.
Rebecca Gorman described "Well Wishing" as "a fairy tale gone awry. It's a comedy set in a pretty medieval world, complete with Princess (Emily Michaels '97), Queen (Lani Sipe '98) and Jester (Tim O'Leary '97), but the dialogue is modern and sarcastic, and the issues -- the quest for independence and the fear of the unknown -- are ones that are very real. The Prince (Chris Ferry '95) is a little too charming, and the Wishing Well holds something other than wishes."
Another adaptation of a fairy tale, "Snow White," is being produced by BUTA. The play is directed by Tammi Gardner '94, who is adapting the work in collaboration with English professor Bill Cook.
BUTA's two other Spring term productions are James Riddick's "Every 1 is Guilty Until Proven Black" and Gardnder's "The Alpha Bet." The BUTA productions this term are part of Resurrection Weekend, created in 1974 by the founders of BUTA to acknowledge the arts within the Afro-American Society. Resurrection is held every three years, and recognizes students in art, poetry, drama, music and film.
"Macbeth" is not part of the grand Dartmouth playwriting tradition, but Dave Harbour '97 and Zachary Oberzan '96 still decided to take on this Jacobean tragedy, after their stay in London last term on the FSP.
The production has cosmic origins; Harbour suggested the idea to Oberzan while they sat in the Dirty Duck in Stratford-on-Avon, the former stomping ground of the Bard. Harbour had been studying Macbeth, and felt it was a piece he wanted to bring to Dartmouth.
Harbour and Oberzan are a well-oiled collaborative unit, having worked together on "Waiting for Godot" during the fall term. In Macbeth, they are not only directing, but playing roles as well. "The double-direction serves well in this aspect, since often one of us must be in the scene, needing an outside perspective," Oberzan said.
As a result of their theoretical interests, "Macbeth" will be a minimalist, expressionistic production. Oberzan and Harbour are drawing on influences from Peter Brook to Bertolt Brecht. Oberzan is also drawing on his work with Liska in "Confessor," applying techniques to theater not commonly associated with a classical text. Harbour's emphasis is more on the language and format of the play.
All the student-run productions are currently scheduled to be performed in May. Consider making the daring decision to peel yourself away from acapella performances and wander over to the Hop to soak up the blood, sweat and tears of Dartmouth's prolific thespians, as they take you on a whirlwind tour of the human psyche and the Bentley Theater.
