Spring Festival graces Dailey Theatre stage

by Erin Zabarnick
Staff Writer

The University of La Verne Department of Theatre Arts presented the Spring Theatre Mini-Festival this week, submerging those who attend in a comedic drama complete with sobs and laughter.

The Mini-Festival ran from Sunday through Wednesday, giving students the opportunity to see superb acting at no charge.

“I think people overlook these one-act plays like it’s not something to go to but in reality it’s fun, short and cheap,” Chris Smith, a sophomore theater major who played Bunco DeSneer in “The Ballad of Gopher Gap.”

Most of the acts presented were comedies and the students of La Verne were kept rolling in laughter.

The projects all week were student done and a tribute to the spirit of the department,” said Rebecca Campana, junior theater and English major as well as the director of ‘The Ballad of Gopher Gap.”

The Mini-Festival one-act plays were directed by the students in the directing studio class and designed by the students in the designing theatre class.

The plays shown this week were “The Ballad of Gopher Gap,” “Between Mouthfuls,” “Sure Thing,” “Salem Revisited,” “The Fifteen Minute Hamlet,” “The Menstruating Waitress From Hell,” “Jumping,” “Postcards” and “Pleasure of Detachment.”

All of the acts were shown twice this week to give everyone a chance to see them.

Even though there were a lot of laughs on stage there seemed to be a lot of drama behind stage. “'The Ballad of Gopher Gap' was cursed,” said Max Zänker, junior journalism major, who played Judge Cyrus Abercrombie.

The trouble first arose in finding a place to hold the presentation. The director’s first choice was Founders Auditorium but bee infestation forced the show to be moved to the Dailey Theatre.

On the day of the performance, one hour before the show started, the cast found out that one of the actors had fallen ill, causing the director and cast to cut 15 minutes from the play and improvise additional material.

Zach Johnson, sophomore theatre major that played Slats Fourflusher dislocated his arm in the first five minutes of performing. He was doing a comical dance and swung his arms about when his shoulder popped out. At first the audience thought the incident was a joke but when Johnson did not get up and proceed with the scene everyone knew something was really wrong.

After a brief intermission the show went on as if nothing happened.

“I tried to get my arm in place so that the show could go on but when it didn’t pop back in I knew I had to get some help,” Johnson said.

“We did a pretty good job considering we’ve never had a run through with the whole cast,” Campana said.

“I enjoyed doing the play and working with people who can be creative in a second. They are very good at improv.” Zänker said.

This week was a great display of the theatre arts here on campus.

A lot of hard work and effort was put into the set designs and costumes.

The directors and talent held up their part of the deal as well giving extraordinary and in depth performances.