By: Myleigh Lanham
The Western theatre season continued with “Short and Sweet,” a production of short plays and films which students got the option to direct themselves.
The production took place in the Kemper Recital Hall and featured six one-act plays and five short films. Two of the plays were directed by students and all of the short films were directed by students.
Abby Sexton, senior musical theatre major, directed the one-act “Hold for Three.” She said she wanted to explore the other sides of theatre by directing instead of performing.
“It is good for an actor to have other assets and really know how an entire production works,” Sexton said. “It’s been very informative to learn about how everything works and what all goes into being a director and putting together an entire production.”
The production introduced some new faces to the stage. While some students are switching from being onstage to being backstage, there are others who chose to perform rather than be behind the scenes.
Elizabeth Adams performed onstage at Western for the first time in two one-act plays.
“I want to be a stage manager so it is important to get both sides and know the people that you will be working with but also be in their shoes,” Adams said.
Short films were presented between each one-act. Each film was directed by a student in the theatre & cinema department and some students chose to act in the short films.
The audience got a short and sweet view of student-directed plays and films. Each show was different, which allowed the audience to watch cast members show off their different sides of acting.
Hayden Solomon, sophomore on campus, said he really enjoyed all of the shows.
“It was really cool to see what my friends could create in the cinema department,” Solomon said.
“Short and Sweet” brought something more to the stage. More faces and more opportunities for students to get the chance to direct their own shows.
