By
Angela Orlando
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Students come without experience, expectations
After overcoming the adversities of a tight budget, sick actors and a cramped venue, the Underground Theater (UGT) workshop members are about to perform seven one-act plays.
Every aspect of the plays - including producing, writing, directing and acting - were executed exclusively by University of Arizona students, few of whom are theater arts majors.
"One of the best parts of Underground Theater is that we have so many different (student) majors," said director Anne Heintz, an English and theater senior. "It brings people from all different departments together. We have engineering majors writing plays, MIS majors directing and microcellular biology majors acting in (the plays)."
When open auditions were held in February, many students had no prior acting experience - let alone had ever been on a stage before.
The seven plays are diverse in subject matter, but each enacts only one conflict as characteristic of one-acts.
"Most of the plays are about friendship and connection issues," said management information systems sophomore Ben Gross. He is directing two plays, one of which is titled "Willingly."
"'Willingly' is about two souls connecting, as opposed to two libidos connecting," Gross said. "It's about two people sitting in a room, being comfortable with each other."
Heintz is directing "Muse," which she said is about a piano player's relationship with her boyfriend.
Dramatic theory senior Erica White is directing four of the seven plays. She described her directing style as "authoritative."
"I like to give my actors a basic outline, and then after that, there's room for growth and change," she said.
Although all the directors do not share a theater background, White said this did not diminish the quality of the production.
"I think all three directors are competent," she said. "We have a lot of artistic vision and have poured a lot of ourselves into this production."
One of the plays White is directing is "The Fourth Wall," written by musical theater sophomore Josh Lamoreaux. It is about "two guys living in an apartment, and one has an epiphany that an audience is watching, which, of course, they really are," White said.
More than their limited experience, the directors also faced a tight budget of $100.
"Most of the budget goes to extra props, like cigarettes or food," said Rachel Hohn, theater arts department production manager. The university supplies most necessities, such as wardrobes, a venue and lights, but "sometimes, workshops have to pay (for extras) out of their own pockets," Hohn said.
The plays will debut in the Theater building's directing studio, a tiny venue capable of seating only 75 people. The environment forces UGT to employ the "thrust setting," which is when the audience encircles the stage. Actors can, and sometimes do, come in physical contact with audience members.
The thrust setting, however, poses another obstacle, as it impedes some technical aspects of production.
"A concern for the directors is that the low ceiling creates a situation where the lighting shines directly into the faces of the audience members," Gross said. "But we're working really hard to make it so there's not a bad seat in the house."
Yesterday's dress rehearsal went well, Gross said. Because many of the workshop members were ill last week, he said, he was apprehensive about the fate of the productions.
"But now, everyone's over their sicknesses and basketball blues," Gross said. "And we had an awesome dress rehearsal."
Tickets to the three-hour production are free but required because of the venue's limited seating capacity. They are available at the Marroney Theater's box office.
UGT plays show tonight and tomorrow at 7:30 p.m., as well as on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. All shows take place in the director's studio, Room 116 of the Theater Arts building. Tickets are free and available at the Marroney box office.
