Nancy Simon, director of Harper Joy Theatre, chooses the plays performed each season. “I chose them with great difficulty,” said Simon. Students, faculty and staff give suggestions, but Simon makes the final decision.
Since the company ranges between the ages of 17 to 22, Simon tries to choose age-appropriate plays for students. “We try to run fewer plays about the elderly and the middle-aged,” said Simon. Gender is also a factor in choosing the plays. “We try to provide equal opportunities for men and women,” said Simon.
Simon balances classics, new plays and original student writing. She tries to balance comedy, drama and music in addition to a balance of plays requiring big sets and small sets.
This variety of plays is seen in the four productions running at HJT this semester. “I am pleased with how well the audience has responded already,” said Simon. Season tickets, which are available until Oct. 31, have been selling well at the box office.
The theater’s first production, “From Inner Rooms,” runs Sept. 26-30. “Isn’t It Romantic,” written by the late Pulitzer Prize winner Wendy Wasserstein, runs Oct. 18-21. “The Ghost Sonata” by August Strindberg runs Nov. 7-11. The final production of the semester, “Così fan tutte” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte, runs Dec. 6-9.
“From Inner Rooms” is written and performed by the Autobiographical Writing for Performance Workshop led by veteran performance artist Dan Kwong. Kwong graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1977 and is the Resident Artist at the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica, Calif.
The Autobiographical Writing for Performance Workshop is a four-week special topics theater class. Ten students enrolled in this class and will perform 10-minute autobiographical pieces in the final production.
Sophomore Kelsey Yuhara, a participant in this class, said, “It has been one of the biggest growing experiences of my life. I’ve become a better listener, and I’m less hard on myself about little things.”
The students in this class have been writing prompts about personal moments as homework, such as writing about a time of triumph or embarrassment.
“In looking at my past, I’ve learned a lot about where I’m at now,” said Yuhara.
Whitman faculty will direct the other three productions this semester. Parke Thomas, the sabbatical replacement for Christopher Petit, is directing “Isn’t It Romantic.”
Sophomore Alexandra Schireman portrays Harriet, a main lead, in “Isn’t It Romantic.”
“I love this show especially because there are a lot of good women’s parts,” said Schireman.
Junior Joseph Zoline-Black, another main lead in “Isn’t It Romantic,” said, “It’s from the ’80s, but it’s still applicable to college students today because it’s about how you want to grow up and what you want to do.”
Auditions have not yet been held for “The Ghost Sonata.” A modern, haunting play, “it looks very dark, very interesting,” said Schireman.
The audition process differs for every play. Most of the time any Whitman student is eligible to audition.
“The best student for the role is picked without preference to seniors or theater majors,” said Simon.
“Così fan tutte” was cast last spring, since it is a music production. Simon is directing it in conjunction with Robert Bode and Lee D. Thompson from the department of music. The principles were cast in order to allow them time to practice the music, which will be sung in English, over the summer. The chorus will be cast later on during the semester.
Yuhara, who attended or performed in every HJT show last year, said, “I’m looking forward to seeing shows of the same caliber as last year.”
“As a Whitman student, you get a free ticket. Why not go see them?” said Zoline-Black.
