A nervous actor walks through the long, dark hallway up to the stage. The bright lights flash on. The actor stands, alone, in front of the directors, with a few precious minutes to prove himself worthy of a role. This was the experience of every aspiring Jesuit actor on August 23 when auditioning for the Jesuit theater’s fall drama. These auditions mark the beginning of Stage and Film’s long awaited 2016-2017 year.
On a Tuesday in late August after school, directors Chris Patterson ’08 and David Myers judged the many students auditioning for The Grapes of Wrath, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by John Steinbeck. The play, directed primarily by Mr. Myers, will open in November. Matthew Justman ’18, who auditioned and was chosen to be one of the costume and prop managers, explains the audition process: “You can either come with your own monologue prepared or they have cold reads, where you get two different sheets and you choose from them and you just read it. It’s not for a specific part, it’s just for a role in the play.” Justman, feeling confident about his performance, commented he “thought [he] did well.”
In fact, almost everyone did well. Patterson remarked that “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more talented group; there were very few disasters. Even the freshmen amazed me. I was very impressed.” In agreement with Patterson, Myers added that “We have a tremendous amount of acting talent on campus right now, with juniors like Campbell Fearing and Jaylon Briscoe. We just have a deep bench. I really think that people are going to walk away from productions this year with a genuine sense of appreciation for the students who have put so much effort and time into their roles. I’m really proud of the entire group already.”
These comments of genuine optimism and enthusiasm from the directors raises excitement for the year and the question: What’s next?
Traditionally, the fall drama is followed by the senior one-acts, the spring comedy, and the film festival. This year is no different. After The Grapes of Wrath, twelve seniors write and direct their very own one-acts! For Cydney Roy, a senior at Ursuline, directing a play is a new and exciting opportunity. She mentioned, “I am still a little nervous about directing my own one act. However, all of the directors as a whole are very encouraging and I look forward to the auditions and casting for one acts to get started!”
As fall turns to winter, and winter to spring, the seniors finish their one-acts, and the theater students gear up for the spring comedy, Joseph Heller’s Catch 22, another American literature adaptation. “I think both of our shows are going to be a departure from what we have been doing – kind of aesthetically and in content, we had really realistic elaborate sets and I think both Mr Myers and I wanted to get back to very simplistic emotional realism through movement, so kind of more abstract, modern stages,” noted Mr Patterson, the primary director for the spring comedy.
But theater isn’t the only active organization in Stage and Film this year: According to Mr. Myers, there are a jaw-dropping “twenty-two student films in production at the moment, and a number of films were shot over this past summer.” He commented “It’s an exciting time to be a filmmaker on Jesuit’s campus.” One of those films shot in the summer debuted at the first day of school assembly. The theme this year – Superman.
Mr Myers recounted “ Jackson Glenn and Spencer Villicic produced that film with the direction of Mr. Knize. I think it’s fun how that film has become a bit of an annual production, and next year we plan on putting a bit more preparation into it. After last year’s Star Wars film, people have come to expect a little production razzle dazzle. It’s fun for us to make that happen.”
And razzle dazzle there was! The welcome-back video, accompanied by the iconic Superman Theme, was a success.
Spencer, a Jesuit senior in his third year of film, recounted the process of making it, saying “With only two weeks to make the video, Jackson and I were on a bit of a time crunch, but Mr. Knize guided us with his vision, a short, Superman-themed welcome back video that showcases important Jesuit language to kickstart the year. He provided us with all of the music and pictures he wanted us to use, we just had film around campus and then cut it all together.
Adding to the stress of the process, we were given half of the pictures on Vos Parate, two days before it needed to be complete, but we were able to finish it quickly.” Since then, Spencer is planning his next move in film, stating “I have some ideas floating around for more films, so I hope to be back on set again soon.”
The year for film is much less rigid than theater. Students work on what they want, when they want, with two exceptions: the welcome back video, and the Film Festival. In this coming May, Jesuit will host its third annual film festival. The event showcases films (submitted by students, selected by judges) that were made during the year.
It’s an exciting time for Stage and Film at Jesuit. With new innovations like film’s very own green screen and frontiers like the fast-paced Catch 22, everyone has something to look forward to. Make sure to grab your tickets this year before they are sold out!
