On December 5 in the Black Box theatre, seven students will have the chance to debut their directing skills, which is a very unique and special experience for the individuals.
Theatre professor Jeff Barker teaches Northwestern’s directing class. The class itself is experiential, meaning that there is always something to do. The class starts with a warm-up which one of the student directors is assigned to lead. This is to help the new directors gain experience for when they practice with their own actors.
During the class, the students are exposed to a lot of different plays, as they all have to read the plays that other students choose to put on, but also a wide variety of other productions in order to develop a catalog of shows for the future.
Sophomore public relations major Abigail Moody, one of the students in the class, will be directing the play “He Said and She Said.” Moody says she has loved the directing process so far, and she has really enjoyed working with her stage manager and cast members. Additionally, Moody has enjoyed the play she chose.
“I read [“He Said and She Said”] and fell in love with it,” Moody said. “I love the style and the society of the era that it’s set in, and I love the historical side of it. I really just love every element of the show and the people I am getting to do it with.”
However, directing does take a lot of work. The student directors have to design the costumes, figure out the set, make sure all their actors are on track, design the schedules and keep all of it organized.
“It’s involved, but it’s worth it,” Moody said.
Along with Moody, there are six other students putting on productions. One of the productions is called “Fourteen” and is directed by Joy McCaffrey. Senior theatre major Hannah Wamhoff is acting in this show and said it has been a good experience.
“I think Joy is doing a great job. She has really rolled with the punches with scheduling,” Wamhoff said. “And she has allowed us to play around with the script and give directions.”
Wamhoff, Moody and Barker are all very excited for the final performance. Wamhoff has advice for audience members who come to the show.
“Applauding, being attentive and just showing up is huge,” Wamhoff said. “Several freshmen are involved, and supporting them is supporting them in their launch into theatre.”
To support these actors, come to the Black Box theatre at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday Dec 5. Audience members can go to whichever one acts they want to, as there will be a six-minute intermission between each play.
“It’ll be great fun,” Barker said. “They can come for one or all seven, but they should beware, because if they come for one, they are not going to want to leave.”
