The idea behind Director’s Cut is simple: nine short plays, nine directors. But the word simple simply doesn’t even begin to illustrate the effect of Director’s Cut.
The choice of plays was brilliant. They all had different styles, different social relationships and unique plots. All the plays performed are part of a collection, “35 in 10: Thirty-Five Ten-Minute Plays,” compiled and edited by Kent R. Brown.
From play to play, there was absolutely no fluidity, yet that was the point.
The succession of plays was extremely important and the audience could tell that they were meticulously plotted to show an array of emotions. For example, one play titled “Playtime” depicted a mother dealing with an abusive husband and her daughter, who refuses to live with them. Directors obviously decided to show this play neither first, nor last, as it is harsh and upsetting. The first play, however, was a story of a pubescent couple, trying to woo each other and the last illustrated a man and a woman acting in a film noir style, both relatively light-hearted pieces.
There was a range of emotions throughout the plays. Some plays were extremely hilarious. “A Mustache and A Mattress,” for example, presented a woman extremely infatuated with a salesman’s mustache. It is a strange scenario, for sure, but a hilarious one. Another quite amusing play was “18 Holes,” which involved two men playing golf and exchanging interesting philosophies. At one point, one man says he has always wondered about filatio and hoped he may experience that feeling some day. What is funnier than that?
Other plays were heartfelt and romantic. “Grunions” portrays a couple alone on a beach, waiting for the Grunion fish to perform their annual mating ritual. When an unhappy wife expresses her hope for something exciting in the relationship, the couple finds each other closer than ever. The husband expresses that “life isn’t always peaches and roses,” something that people are faced with everyday. They come to the conclusion that although they may not be at the right place in their lives, they are with the right person.
After the conclusion of the performance, I felt filled to the utmost. Unlike a performance of a single story, a performance of short plays leaves one feeling a range of emotions: excitement, fear and sadness. Being forced to view and experience these emotions that change completely one play after another makes one feel overwhelmed. In this case, this overwhelming feeling was positive.
Director’s Cut is an opportunity for anyone, who enjoys theatre and acting, to get involved. It is one of the least serious productions that Theatre Fairfield produces during the year, but that isn’t to say that it isn’t entertaining. Jess Mercadante, a freshman theatre major, told me about her debut in Director’s Cut in a play called “Film Noir.” She said, “It was a great experience, my first, with Theatre Fairfield. It was very challenging at first, but it turned out to be a great piece!”
Through Director’s cut, theatre students get an opportunity to direct whomever they so choose and the outcome is incredible. All student directors of Director’s Cut 2006 are junior or senior Theatre majors or minors. Student directors were: Tess Brown, Kelly Henn, Tim King, Liz Krane, Katie McLaughlin, Jared Mezzocchi, Jonathan Perez, Jodie Pfau and Wendy Scola.
I commend Theatre Fairfield for their hard work on this production and I am excited to see Director’s Cuts in the future.
Leave a Reply