This Wednesday, the student-directed production of Lynne Kaufman’s play Shooting Simone will open on Whitman campus. This comedy, set in 20th century Paris, deals with love, love affairs, feminism, and the fallibility of truth. The Pioneer asked a few questions of the cast, stage manager, and student director to get to know the close-knit team that has put endless hours into this production.
DIRECTOR- Ryan Campeau
Pioneer: Have you directed any plays before?
Ryan Campeau: I have directed two plays for the One-Act Play Contest — “The Station” this spring and “Midnight Chimes” in spring 2011 — and many short theater pieces, some of which were collaborations with friends on short plays they had written. My favorite theater experiences have always been the projects I have collaborated on with my friends — theater time is social time!
Pioneer: How has it been working on this play compared to your past experiences?
RC: I am so happy with the community that has developed between myself, my designers, and my cast. There is nothing like working on a show to bring people together, and I’m really going to miss the our work time together as well as the outside-the-theater cheese-tasting and cafe outings we did as a group.
STAGE MANAGER- Madeline Levy
CAST
Caroline Rensel
Pioneer:What has been your favorite experience working on the show?
Caroline Rensel: My favorite part of this experience has been getting to know our cast and wonderful crew and working in the black box. The black box is such a different way of doing theatre than I am used to, and I have really enjoyed the challenge and the freedom that the space provides.
Pioneer:What’s something you didn’t expect beforehand?
CR:In preparing for this role I was surprised by how much I enjoyed researching Simone de Beauvoir. She was a fascinating person. I did not expect to relate to her as much as I found myself doing in reading sections of her books or biographies.
Nicholas Khor
Pioneer: What has been your favorite experience working on the show?
Nicholas Khor: I loved working with a small, intimate cast––We all became very close, very quickly. Having a show that is (almost!) entirely student run also provided a unique experience.
Pioneer: What’s something you didn’t expect beforehand?
NK:Performing in a space like the Black Box, with our seating arrangement, posed a challenge. It goes against many elements of traditional blocking. The backstage area is also a lot smaller.
Alexander Foote
Susannah Ellis
AF: There have been a lot of really enjoyable experiences. Personally I’ve really enjoyed getting to wear all those costumes. Hannah McNamara did a wonderful job designing the costumes for this show.
SE: This is my first time working with a space where the audience surrounds the stage. I expected this kind of theater in the round experience to be challenging but I was surprised to discover how much I really enjoy working in it.