At the Instant Play Festival directors have to get a play from the page to the stage in just 9 hours. HJT’s Anthony Reale talks with Junior Biology Major Kathleen McKeegan about her experience directing for Whitman’s IPF.

Anthony: So, how do you feel?

Kathleen: Good!  It was exciting!  The actors did a wonderful job – it was really cool working with them and seeing them put it to fruition.

A: What was the rehearsal process like for you?  Was it hectic or?

K: I wouldn’t say hectic, but there’s definitely an element of rush to it.  (Laughs.)  You can’t explore quite as much as maybe you would like to – especially for my piece, which was very serious, very emotional.  That’s hard to do in a day.  But it was fun, you know, the ‘hecticness’ makes it more spontaneous and more funny.  And you discover things really fast – which is exciting!

A: What was your biggest struggle in this whole event?

K: Probably getting the script and having to direct it right away.  You know?  Normally the director has time with the script and gets to know the characters and what they want and their vision, but I read the script and right away, my actor’s like ‘What do I do?’ and I am just (Shrieks).  You know?  So that was a lot of thinking on my feet, which was fun.

A: Have you directed before?

K: I have not.

A: You have not!  So, would you do it again after this first experience?

K: Yeah, I would!  And I think it’d be fun to direct a piece that I would have more time with.  So yeah, I would definitely give it another go.

The playwrights writing for the Sunday night performance are: Gibson Collins, an Environmental Humanities-Politics double-major; Alan Mendoza, a Philosophy major; Peter Bosworth, a soon-to-be English major; Ludi Cabrito, a Math major – “with a lot of theatre in between”; Drew Schoenborn, a Theatre major; Sunny Ysa, a Politics-History double-major; and Linnea Valdivia, an English major.

 

Outside In  Written by Linnea Valdivia

Directed by Lauren Rekhelman.  Featuring: Emily Jones, Dan Lovato, Gillian Pope, and

Robin Rounthwaite.

 

Autumn Leaves  Written by Alan Mendoza

Directed by: Rich Hinz.  Featuring: Erin Kirkpatrick, Christian McDonald,

Samantha Tong, and Noah Yaconelli.

 

How to Become Friends  Written by Sunny Ysa

Directed by: Douglas Carlsen.  Featuring: Rose Baunach, Robby Brothers, Emma

Chung, and Kyle Flannery.

 

We Are All Cats  Written by Ludi Cardoso de Brito

Directed by Carlos Varg Salgado.  Featuring: Daphne Gallegos, Andy Monserud, Rande

Moss, and Jen Pope.

 

Hai-Blue  Written by Peter Bosworth

Directed by Dougl Carlsen.  Featuring: Matthew Fisher, Grace Pyles, Nate Rudder,

and Jackie Greisen.

 

Everybody Loves You Beneath a Blood Moon  Written by Gibson Collins

Directed by: Haley Gadzik.  Featuring: Noelle Butler, Gladys Gitau,

Abby Seethoff, and Nina Vanspranghe.

 

A Happening  Written by Drew Schoenborn

Directed by Natalie Berg.  Featuring: Emily Bushnell, Melissa Kohl, Bil McCafferty,

and Anthony Reale.

With music by The SideEffects

Steven Aslin on drums, Jake Barokas on guitar, Hunter Dunn on bass, Gabe Merrill-Steskal on keyboards

IPF PRODUCTION TEAM

Stage Manager Alex Lewis

Lighting Designer Delio Fernandez

Sound Master Sunshine Hayes-Wehle

Technical Directors / Scenic Advisors Nate Tomsheck, Kevin Walker

Crew Cyrilla Ray, Roxanne Stathos

Soundboard Operator Gregory Luber

Lightboard Operator Rachel Leiter

Festival Producer Kristen Kosmas