A Play for a Play
Two Successful Plays, One Amazing Theatre Department
Lindsay Prior
Issue date: 3/11/10 Section: Entertainment
The Clown of God
On March 4, 2010, Messiah College's theatre department put on two plays: The Clown of God, a senior project starring Sarah Burgess, and Pizzazz, a humorous yet relevant play put on by a particularly talented cast. Though quite different in content and even form, both productions showcased the skills of dedicated theatre majors at Messiah College.
The Clown of God, a play by Tomie dePaola, was adopted and performed by Sarah Burgess as her solo senior show. Directed by Jim Knipple, this show followed the main character Giovanni's journey as a traveling performer who wanted only to bring happiness to his audiences.
The way the story was told in this play was mainly through the use of masks. The audience members, before even being seated, were given paper plates on sticks with which to make masks for themselves. When Burgess walked onstage, she explained to the audience, as the narrator, that these masks were there to represent Giovanni's audience.
Seating was limited, as the only seating made available was actually onstage where a bunch of chairs had been set up for the audience members. This gave the audience the feel of being the audience of Giovanni in the story.
The story progressed with Burgess in the roles of Giovanni and his many acquaintances. This was accomplished through the use of various colorful masks, made of various materials such as cloth, buttons, and Aquafina bottles, each of which was crafted to represent the different characters.
An enthusiastic stage presence and a powerful vocal ability from the solo actress drew the audience into the story of the traveling, juggling clown like moths to a flame. Children in the audience stood in their seats to watch the spectacle of juggling whenever Burgess pulled out the colorful juggling balls.
Rather than simply aiming to entertain the audience members, though, Burgess managed to also communicate to them an important life lesson. Using one's talents, as Giovanni did in the end, for Christ our Lord, is a fulfilling and inspiring decision one can make in order to praise our Creator.
Pizzazz
The first performance of this show at Messiah College in 2010 was also on March 4, right after The Clown of God. Many people were able to watch both productions consecutively, making for a great night of Messiah College theatre.
Pizzazz, a play by Hugh Leonard and directed by Dawn Hawbaker, addressed many of today's societal issues through a comedic plot. Most of the cast had to put on Irish accents for the show - which were superb, by the way - as the show was set in Ireland and many of the characters were Irish.
One character, by the name of Marion, was an American who was portrayed throughout most of the play as being loud, obnoxious, and butting into others' business. First year Jessica Crosby did an excellent job of portraying an overbearing, somewhat stereotypical American character.
The character of Conroy, a guest at the seaside building in which Marion was staying during the play, was played by junior Matt Coakley. Out of all the Irish accents onstage, his sounded the most authentic, and he played a rather uptight proctologist on honeymoon with his wife.
The main plot of the production centered around these two characters, who met while each waiting to rent a cruiser. Crosby and Coakley worked quite well together, making the audience laugh hysterically throughout the performance as Marion coaxed Conroy into playing a little game with her, confusing almost everyone around them.
Three other characters were essential to pulling off the hilarity and ingenuity of this play. First was Marion's housekeeper, Olivia, who was played by sophomore Hana Elise Grosh. Her occasional witty comments and calm demeanor suggested a kind of amused, all-knowing character.
Another essential character was Rooney, played by junior Matt Sakow. Rooney, the perpetually confused employee sitting behind the front desk, added yet another level of hilarity to the performance when he decided to take part in Marion and Conroy's game, constantly changing characters while still trying to keep some sort of order within the building.
Finally, a bit later in the play, Mrs. Hand, played by sophomore Jessica Sieg, entered into the game. Not knowing that it was a game, however, the kindly old Mrs. Hand encouraged Marion to stay with her husband, who Mrs. Hand took to be Conroy, because of the game they were playing.
Each of the characters were portrayed with an enthusiasm and a talent unique to the students involved in theatre at Messiah College. The show itself was entertaining, informative, and surprising. The performances extended from March 4 to March 6, where three audiences were able to sit onstage in chairs and witness the talent of these incredible theatre folk.
Both performances showcased Messiah College students' talents and ability onstage, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats, laughing and gasping depending on the scene. With these shows under the theatre's belt, hopefully the next few will be just as spectacular.
On March 4, 2010, Messiah College's theatre department put on two plays: The Clown of God, a senior project starring Sarah Burgess, and Pizzazz, a humorous yet relevant play put on by a particularly talented cast. Though quite different in content and even form, both productions showcased the skills of dedicated theatre majors at Messiah College.
The Clown of God, a play by Tomie dePaola, was adopted and performed by Sarah Burgess as her solo senior show. Directed by Jim Knipple, this show followed the main character Giovanni's journey as a traveling performer who wanted only to bring happiness to his audiences.
The way the story was told in this play was mainly through the use of masks. The audience members, before even being seated, were given paper plates on sticks with which to make masks for themselves. When Burgess walked onstage, she explained to the audience, as the narrator, that these masks were there to represent Giovanni's audience.
Seating was limited, as the only seating made available was actually onstage where a bunch of chairs had been set up for the audience members. This gave the audience the feel of being the audience of Giovanni in the story.
The story progressed with Burgess in the roles of Giovanni and his many acquaintances. This was accomplished through the use of various colorful masks, made of various materials such as cloth, buttons, and Aquafina bottles, each of which was crafted to represent the different characters.
An enthusiastic stage presence and a powerful vocal ability from the solo actress drew the audience into the story of the traveling, juggling clown like moths to a flame. Children in the audience stood in their seats to watch the spectacle of juggling whenever Burgess pulled out the colorful juggling balls.
Rather than simply aiming to entertain the audience members, though, Burgess managed to also communicate to them an important life lesson. Using one's talents, as Giovanni did in the end, for Christ our Lord, is a fulfilling and inspiring decision one can make in order to praise our Creator.
Pizzazz
The first performance of this show at Messiah College in 2010 was also on March 4, right after The Clown of God. Many people were able to watch both productions consecutively, making for a great night of Messiah College theatre.
Pizzazz, a play by Hugh Leonard and directed by Dawn Hawbaker, addressed many of today's societal issues through a comedic plot. Most of the cast had to put on Irish accents for the show - which were superb, by the way - as the show was set in Ireland and many of the characters were Irish.
One character, by the name of Marion, was an American who was portrayed throughout most of the play as being loud, obnoxious, and butting into others' business. First year Jessica Crosby did an excellent job of portraying an overbearing, somewhat stereotypical American character.
The character of Conroy, a guest at the seaside building in which Marion was staying during the play, was played by junior Matt Coakley. Out of all the Irish accents onstage, his sounded the most authentic, and he played a rather uptight proctologist on honeymoon with his wife.
The main plot of the production centered around these two characters, who met while each waiting to rent a cruiser. Crosby and Coakley worked quite well together, making the audience laugh hysterically throughout the performance as Marion coaxed Conroy into playing a little game with her, confusing almost everyone around them.
Three other characters were essential to pulling off the hilarity and ingenuity of this play. First was Marion's housekeeper, Olivia, who was played by sophomore Hana Elise Grosh. Her occasional witty comments and calm demeanor suggested a kind of amused, all-knowing character.
Another essential character was Rooney, played by junior Matt Sakow. Rooney, the perpetually confused employee sitting behind the front desk, added yet another level of hilarity to the performance when he decided to take part in Marion and Conroy's game, constantly changing characters while still trying to keep some sort of order within the building.
Finally, a bit later in the play, Mrs. Hand, played by sophomore Jessica Sieg, entered into the game. Not knowing that it was a game, however, the kindly old Mrs. Hand encouraged Marion to stay with her husband, who Mrs. Hand took to be Conroy, because of the game they were playing.
Each of the characters were portrayed with an enthusiasm and a talent unique to the students involved in theatre at Messiah College. The show itself was entertaining, informative, and surprising. The performances extended from March 4 to March 6, where three audiences were able to sit onstage in chairs and witness the talent of these incredible theatre folk.
Both performances showcased Messiah College students' talents and ability onstage, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats, laughing and gasping depending on the scene. With these shows under the theatre's belt, hopefully the next few will be just as spectacular.
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