Creativity filled the Gordon Wilson Hall Lab Theatre on Sept. 6 and 7 as the Alpha Psi Omega fraternity hosted the “Plays in a Day” festival where plays were written, directed and performed all in a 24-hour timespan.
The event was open to anyone of interest. Students with varying experience in theater were assigned a random group. Each of the six groups, consisting of one playwright, one director and two actors, were completely student-led and had full creative liberty to construct their plays.
“It’s actually been a thing in our department for many years now,” Alpha Phi Omega President Victoria Lewis said. “We’ve had to take a break since COVID started, but this year we had time to bring it back.”
Theater major and Louisville senior Shylin Jordan was the overall producer of the event, in charge of every aspect.
“‘Plays in a Day’ allows everyone to fully explore their creativity,” Jordan said.
Jordan said that the many roles have different hurdles to overcome. A playwright, who has the task of writing a play, might find it hard to create a play in a short amount of time, she said.
“Writing takes a lot of time, especially plays and scripts,” Jordan said. “You never know that something incredible can come from a ten-minute play.”
Jordan commenced the festival at 6 p.m. on Sept. 6 by assigning the groups their props and themes. She instructed each group to randomly choose a number between one and six to decide their group prop, ranging from a black leather biker hat to an ancient baby stroller. For the theme of their play, students chose a number between seven and 12. One group received “Pluto” as their theme, while another had “rage.”
The playwrights of each group had until 8 a.m. the following morning to write their scripts and turn them in to Jordan, who printed them out for the actors to practice with. From then on, it was time to rehearse and prepare the piece for the stage later that evening.
Sophomore Sophie Todaro from Saint Paul, Minnesota, was a director in the event. Being in their second year pursuing the theater major, they have had experience with being an actor, but not with directing.
“I usually act, so I’m really excited to direct,” Todaro said. “I just really like to see what kind of people, especially my actors, are, and then what I can give them to help them shine on stage.”
Throughout the rehearsals, actors read through their scripts and practiced their lines. Directors created blocking, or choreography and positioning for actors, according to the New International Performing Arts Institute. They also instructed and coached the actors on body language and other mannerisms.
One of the groups included Junior Lib Boyd and alumni Benjamin Carter. Boyd was the playwright of the group while Carter was the director.
Boyd wrote the script based on a prop of an old metal horn and the theme of “lies.” The play, titled “The Call of Raalinez,” was about a girl, Laura, who summons an ancient deity, Raalinez, with a magical horn. Raalinez tries to lure Laura into making a wish so that he can steal her soul. Laura outsmarts Raalinez, by wishing to play the horn, as she knows that he cannot grant her that wish. Raalinez is cast away, and Laura throws the horn into a pond so that no one may summon him again.
Junior Jacob Reed played the role of Raalinez. Freshman Brianna Blankenship, who had never been in a theater production before, played Laura in “The Call of Raalinez.”
“I was very worried going in,” Blakenship said. “But both my director and my co-actor were so understanding of my questions and any other lingo issues I had.”
After 24 hours, it was time to perform. The groups gathered in the lab theater, anxious for the program to start at 6 p.m. The doors opened at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday as friends, loved ones, and others gathered in the lab theater to watch the collection of 10-minute plays.
The first play was “Poor Servant, Better Knight,” written by sophomore Carson Reynolds and directed by sophomore Sophie Todaro. It told the story of a servant named Bernard, played by freshman Garret Milby, who found his place as a knight on the queen’s court, played by sophomore Abigail Blakeman.
“ORBIT,” written by senior Chesney Wright and directed by alumni Reginald Jefferson was the second play to be shown. It told the story of a woman, Mary, who realized that her situationship with a man named Jack, wasn’t healthy. The couple was played by freshman Taelyn Rice and freshman Tyler Provost.
The third play, titled “Glitter Fairy Wishes,” was written by sophomore Aubrie Pignato and directed by Mandy Taylor. The play centers around Valerie, a girl who accidentally summons a demon to bring her dead mother back to life. Valerie was played by freshman Mikey Caster, while Valerie’s best friend, Blake, was played by sophomore William Briggs.
Following the third play came a short intermission where Elizabethtown native and freshman audience member Kiris Ray remarked about the storytelling of the productions.
“I love how they all can make such a wonderful story out of such minimal props and space,” Ray said. “The storytelling was so good that I could envision everything.”
“Welcome to the Soft Batch Bakery” was the fourth play to be shown. Written and directed by senior Ariel Alexander, the play was about two elf sisters, Sugar and Ginger, who struggle to work together at their parents’ bakery. Sugar was played by senior K.J. Wilkerson and Ginger was played by sophomore Jasha Taylor.
After “The Call of Raalinez” was performed, the actors in the final play titled “HELLRIDEREZ” took the stage. The play was about two demon motorcyclists, Pitfall and Sawblade, who try to channel their rage into healthier ways, such as therapy and exercise. “HELLRIDEREZ” was written by alumni Reginald Jefferson and directed by sophomore Elizabeth Grant. The play featured sophomore Kaylee Scelso as Pitfall, and freshman Joseph Hanrahan as Sawblade.
Each play was met with applause, with the humorous moments erupting the audience in laughter and the dramatic ones leaving them in silence. After the final play, the directors, playwrights and Jordan were recognized by the audience for their contributions.
After the event, Alpha Psi Omega vice president Hanneh Kevorkian said she cherished the form of expression the event offered.
“‘Plays in a Day’ gives people an opportunity to perform and it’s a way for people to be awesome, creative and express themselves,” Kevorkian said.