Artist of the Week

Student Directors Lead Kent Theatre

by Chiara Cafiero, courtesy of Kent News

Each winter the Kent Theatre Department produces several student-directed one-act plays. Students select, or sometimes even write, a one-act between ten and thirty minutes in length, and organize auditions and cast their fellow students in the play.  Directors are typically highly dedicated and committed students with extensive theatre experience. 

This year, Frank Huang '09 will direct Family 2.0 and The Worker, both by Walter Wykes. His cast members include Andy Chan '09, Janie Amero '09, and Sarah Gillam '09. Last year, Frank directed the highly successful 4 a.m. (Open All Night), with a stellar cast of Nate Biagiotti , Drea Ellison , Kyle Brine , and Sarah Slaunwhite '10. 

Adam Straub '11 is a first-time director who participated in two one-acts directed by Mr. Foote last year. Adam will direct Smoke Scenes by Nick Zagone. Nora Nadire '10 and Katie Middleton '10 plan to co-direct a comedy about the breakup of a psychic man and his girlfriend. Cast members for this play include first-time actress Emily Yeterian '11, Taylor Garland '10, and Middleton. Other directors include Amanda Darza '10 and Chiara Cafiero '10 who will co-direct Rich Orloff's Matterhorn with a cast of Kara Daniels '10 and Jake Helman '09. 

All of the directors have experience in Kent Theatre productions, and the students emphasize the difficult transition from acting to directing. "It's fun to see what goes into perfecting a show from a standpoint other than that of the actor, and coming up with creative ideas," says Nadire ’10. "It's definitely harder to direct, it's taken some getting used to. You have to tell the actors what to do instead of being told what to do." This is clearly something with which many new directors can relate. Darza ’10 states, “As a director, you have so much more control than as an actor; you get to be involved in every aspect of the play. But, directing is also a much bigger responsibility, and it's very time-consuming."

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