2008 Woodie Awards
Spring Festival: A Showcase of Student Talent
Amy Wolper
Issue date: 4/22/05 Section: Arts & Features
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In case you haven't heard any reviews of Spring Festival 2005, the general response to the series of student performances was a mixture of shock, admiration, awe and a whole lot of "Wow, that guy actually danced to Prince in drag to fulfill his acting class requirement."
This past weekend, six plays were performed at the Brehmer Theater, each a product of the combined efforts of students enrolled in acting, set design, playwriting and directing classes. The multiple performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday were for the benefit of friends, professors, parents and anyone else looking to appreciate the ingenuity, talent and raw courage of all who were involved.
Each year, Spring Festival provides a unique and valuable opportunity for students to experience the behind-the-scenes process of theater production. From the scene designers who help to build and paint sets, to the writers who see their words come to life, to the actors who spend hours memorizing lines, every participant gains a newfound appreciation for the final product that an audience often takes for granted.
This year's directors and writers have a broad range of previous experience in Colgate Student Theater and other drama programs. Senior Jon Barinholtz directed Tomorrow Over Turkey, written by classmate Natasha Sunderland. Barinholtz explains, "As a director, I experienced a completely new side of theater ... it was incredibly nerve-racking to sit amongst people who were viewing something I had played a part in creating. I've been involved with theater at Colgate since freshman year, but, as an actor, I never got to see my work from an audience's perspective. Ultimately, it was one of the most rewarding experiences I've been involved with while at Colgate; it made me further recognize how involved a process putting up a show is."
Senior Drew Beitz, director of Maura Kehoe's Unsaid, reflects on the difficulties he encountered while directing, "My biggest challenge was getting the actors to believe in their own abilities. I knew what they were capable of when casting them, and I had no doubts." The fact that the student actors had a wide range of experience, with some performing for the first time, was a challenge that both directors and actors had to overcome. Beitz further exclaimed, "It's great to see the show finally get pulled together, and to see how proud the cast was of their work. They worked hard, and it showed."
This past weekend, six plays were performed at the Brehmer Theater, each a product of the combined efforts of students enrolled in acting, set design, playwriting and directing classes. The multiple performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday were for the benefit of friends, professors, parents and anyone else looking to appreciate the ingenuity, talent and raw courage of all who were involved.
Each year, Spring Festival provides a unique and valuable opportunity for students to experience the behind-the-scenes process of theater production. From the scene designers who help to build and paint sets, to the writers who see their words come to life, to the actors who spend hours memorizing lines, every participant gains a newfound appreciation for the final product that an audience often takes for granted.
This year's directors and writers have a broad range of previous experience in Colgate Student Theater and other drama programs. Senior Jon Barinholtz directed Tomorrow Over Turkey, written by classmate Natasha Sunderland. Barinholtz explains, "As a director, I experienced a completely new side of theater ... it was incredibly nerve-racking to sit amongst people who were viewing something I had played a part in creating. I've been involved with theater at Colgate since freshman year, but, as an actor, I never got to see my work from an audience's perspective. Ultimately, it was one of the most rewarding experiences I've been involved with while at Colgate; it made me further recognize how involved a process putting up a show is."
Senior Drew Beitz, director of Maura Kehoe's Unsaid, reflects on the difficulties he encountered while directing, "My biggest challenge was getting the actors to believe in their own abilities. I knew what they were capable of when casting them, and I had no doubts." The fact that the student actors had a wide range of experience, with some performing for the first time, was a challenge that both directors and actors had to overcome. Beitz further exclaimed, "It's great to see the show finally get pulled together, and to see how proud the cast was of their work. They worked hard, and it showed."