The Online Reflector

University of Indianapolis students showcased their talent in five student-directed plays on April 15-17 and will present them again April 29-May 1 at 8 p.m.

Junior Alycia Riley directs “The Lover,” a play by Howard Pinter. It’s set in the 1950s and features a married couple with separate lives. Juniors Arianne Villareal and Joshua Wright portray sexual tension in a rocky marriage. Each of them has an affair and a “significant other outside the marriage.”

Riley noted that the play is more “absurdist” than the productions UIndy usually does.

“Pinter is a very interesting playwright and his stories are very much about the real world,” Riley said.

Wright plays both the husband, Richard, and lover, Max, although it may take a minute to figure that out. Villareal and Wright have a lot of over-the-top dramatic moments throughout the rise and fall of both of their affairs. This show is very slow-paced and lasts a little under half the total time.

As the director, Riley has the final say in design elements. She enjoys directing because it’s different, yet realistic.
“I just guide them through the process of learning these lines, learning these characters and bringing the show to life,” Riley said.

Along with their standard jobs, the crew takes on additional work. For example, actors are focusing on set design and costume designers are working on props.

“It’s really interesting to get to work with the people I see and have classes with every day,” Riley said. “It’s a really awesome experience.”

Junior Nathan Pellow directs three of the five plays: “Gloom, Doom and Soul-Crushing Misery,” “The Birthday Knife” and “A Case of Anxiety.”

“Gloom, Doom and Soul-Crushing Misery” is about a Russian couple who drinks a lot and tries to become more and more depressed. This play has a very strong opening scene and gets right to business. It’s funny how this couple actually wants to be depressed and gets upset when they are running out of ideas to do so, or when they get upset at the prospect of happiness. Senior Katie Gainey and freshman Ross Percell have thick Russian accents throughout and there are plenty of well-timed and interesting visual and sound effects. The characters’ reactions are priceless and the actors’ portrayals are very convincing. It’s intriguing how what would make other couples happy terrifies and disgusts them. It’s the opposite of the stereotypical happy marriage.

“Birthday Knife” is creepy in all the right ways. An over-obsessed fan comes into a TV anchor’s house and comes off as a stalker. It’s hilarious when freshman Will Schnabel (stalker) tells junior Kyrsten Lyster (TV anchor) all about her life. There’s a sense of reality in this play. Without giving away any spoilers, there’s a nice little “oh s***!” moment at the end that is not to be missed.

“A Case of Anxiety” is about how a couple perceives each other and the husband dies in unusual scenarios. According to Pellow, it features a lot of action and he enjoys that play the most. Percell plays a stern inspector, unaffected by the tragic scenes. The play has good visuals and sound effects that are properly timed. And best of all, there’s a happy ending, of sorts, that leaves everyone satisfied.

Pellow said that directing has been fun yet challenging, although he enjoys working with the cast and crew. They rehearse later in the night and rehearsal time revolves around their schedules. Pellow has to manage everyone’s time to make sure rehearsal gets done.

“Working with the designers and actors has been wonderful,” Pellow said. “I have no worries about working with the designers.”

As a director, Pellow analyzes scripts, puts in movements and helps develop motivation for the characters. Every prop is also precisely placed and all the shows have to run smoothly.

“There’s a lot of responsibility on my shoulders, but I’ve been able to get by so far,” Pellow said. “I think all three of my shows have something different to offer and whoever sees it will be entertained.”

The final show, “And One of Them is a Cat,” is directed by junior Michael Howard. This show is entirely new and written by Lyster.

The play kicks off with an interesting relationship squabble. The boyfriend seems kind of dull and unappreciative in the relationship and things get stale.

The comedy is derived from awkward situations and Gainey is hilarious both as a drunk girl and a cat. Freshman Zach Cardwell plays Gainey’s boyfriend, and comes off as the calm and composed “nice guy.” Without giving away too many spoilers, the end leaves the viewer asking “was it real?”

Directing provides a new outlook, according to Howard.

“It’s very interesting because most of it is all student-done. When it said ‘student-directed’, it means ‘student-directed, student-acted and student-designed,’” Howard said. “You learn so much about what other people have to bring to the table. It’s really about bringing the whole thing together.”

Student-Directed Productions take place in the Studio Theatre in the basement of Esch Hall.

Tickets are available in the box office at no cost to UIndy students, $8 for non-UIndy students, and $10 for non-students.