By Audrey Miller; Photo Credits to Dr. Kevin Crowe
From falling in love for the first time to heartbreak, Susquehanna University’s annual student-directed showcase explores the multi-faceted themes that play into relationships. From Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, Degenstein Center Theater hosted “Love/Sick,” a series of ten vignettes, directed and designed by the seniors in the directing course offered at Susquehanna. Whether the emotions are familiar or not, all students were encouraged to attend the emotional roller-coaster of a show that is John Cariani’s 2016 play “Love/Sick.”
Described as “an unromantic comedy for the romantic in everyone,” the audience witnessed an anthology of brief scenes, all following a series of loosely connected stages within a diverse group of relationships. The characters in each play face their own crossroads within their relationships. Starting from a compulsive kiss in a supermarket to what happens after divorce, the show flows smoothly.
The show was both student-directed and student-designed. The colorful background changed with the mood of each scene, and the stage was simple yet effective, all complimenting the stand-out performances. Throughout the show, there were floating silhouettes of houses, alluding to the play being set in “an alternative suburban reality.”
The performance started with the characters entering the stage, one by one. The ombre background complimented their statue-like silhouettes once they got in position, alluding to the plot that was to come. As the show began, it reached an engaging flow, each play having an appropriate length. The talented student actors and actresses lit up the stage, bringing life, humor and emotion to their characters.
Each act lasted five plays. The first act contained two stand-out plays. The third play in the anthology, “What,” explored the vulnerability and trials that come with the uncomfortable confession that is admitting your love for another person. Actors Elliot Muller and Gerry Hehir tackled such an uncomfortable and relatable theme with humor and personality. The last play in the first act, “Uh-Oh,” was also memorable. Actress Kyra Campbell played a bored wife, turning to pretend murder to cure boredom in her marriage to actor Elias Powell.
“The play ‘Uh-Oh’ was definitely my favorite,” says freshman Piper Wright. “I thought it was really funny and the actors did a really great job making the content relatable.”
The student directed and designed showcase is an exciting program that allows the students of the directing course and in the theatre program to showcase their talent, whether that be directing, acting, set design and more. As the student directed shows are annual, the multi-director aspect is new. I had the pleasure of sitting down with one of the directors, Alister Kingsley De Mets, to learn about the process.
“I’m very glad we moved to having all the students direct,” says De Mets. “Everyone gets to model, and it is a great display of what our class has contributed to our department.”
De Mets directed the play “What.” De Mets described the show as a well-oiled machine, attributing the success to the talent of the student cast and crew.
“[The actors] bring new life into these characters that I couldn’t have imagined without them,” said De Mets. “Overall, our cast is the most well put together group of people we could have asked for.”
De Mets was excited to have the community see the show, as it is fueled by passion and hard work. The content of the show also holds value, having something for everyone to connect with.
“We laugh when we’re sad and we cry when we’re happy. I think “Love/Sick” gives a really good slice of how even in absurd situations, people can be real and find love or sickness,” said De Mets.
The next show that the Susquehanna University Department of Theatre will put on is “Secret Garden” in collaboration with the Department of Music. The show will run from Mar. 19 to 22. For more information visit Theatre Productions – Susquehanna University.