Claire Oliver.For two senior theater majors, the 2009-2010 theater season will not only provide an opportunity to put into practice lessons from the classroom but will provide them the chance to leave behind a lasting impression at Linfield.
As co-directors of this month’s annual Student Icebreakers, Jillian Haig and Will DeBiccari, will lead their cast through a variety of Neo-Futurist plays from “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind,” a format created by a Chicago-based theater collective.
The group will speed through 30 selections in 60 minutes. The order of the skits is determined on a nightly basis during the show’s Sept. 24-26 run.
“Why make a point in 45 minutes when you can make it in one?” DeBiccari said.
Although the show’s style has been used in the past, Haig said this year’s performances will be different from their predecessors.
“It’s all about [keeping a] fast pace, having fun and being crazy,” she said.
Haig and DeBiccari said the department’s other, more traditional shows were produced with a college-aged audience in mind and will showcase a similar variety.
“[We] always try to make the season as diverse as possible,” DeBiccari said.
The department is willing to take risks onstage that contradict Linfield’s “homey” exterior, he said. These decisions bring out the best in the department’s open and creative minds.
In November, for example, Janet Gupton, associate professor of theater and communication arts, will direct an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House.”
The play tells the story of a young housewife in the 19th century and her struggle against the subordinate position forced on her by her husband.
“Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead” addresses different themes but is meant to be similarly thought-provoking, the pair said.
“Dog,” which will run in March under guest director Jay Gipson-King, discusses the issues that arise when a teenager forms a bond with a peer, upsetting his normal clique of friends.
DeBiccari said he thinks Linfield students will particularly connect with this play, as many students face similar pressures in college.
Although audiences are probably more familiar with Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors,” Haig stated that the department will cast it in a new light when Gupton directs it as the season’s capstone production in May.
As student directors and actors, Haig and DeBiccari said they plan to put forth their best work not only for personal satisfaction but to set a standard for future theater majors.
“[We] want this department to excel to its fullest potential, to push it further,” DeBiccari said.
For now, both said they would take each show one at a time.
“Our schoolwork isn’t what we do in class, it’s what we do onstage,” Haig said. “Our classes are more like tools to concentrate on the big picture.”
DeBiccari agreed and said he appreciates every opportunity the department provides.
“We’re lucky to have a big picture to work on,” he said.