SPOTLIGHT: One-Acts giving students chance to shine on stage

The actors in Theatre Arts' One-Acts this weekend are not just hoping to please the audience. Both of the one-act plays which open tonight, Wasted and The Enemy Within, are being performed as part of a Theatre Arts course. Production supervisors said that the show will illuminate the new talent emerging from the program. "The purpose of the show is to implement educational theory," said Chris Hariasz, production supervisor of all Theatre Arts productions. "We are not concerned with the artistic quality as much as the learning and educational value of it. It's the process, not the product." Written by 1990 College graduate Katie Goodman, Wasted tells the story of a family coping with an alcoholic mother and a father who has left them. Graduate School of Education student Nancy Farber, who portrays the mother, said earlier this week that the show uses a simple plot to convey a deep message. "[The show is] trying to convey [a message] about family and obligation," Farber said. "[Despite] the fact that as much as you love your family and care for them and want to do everything to keep the peace. . . eventually the system is going to break down. "It's a show about love and family and coping," Farber added. The Enemy Within was written and directed by College senior Nick Campbell and centers around a 25th reunion of members of the inner circle of the World War II French resistance. During the play, the audience learns how each of the characters has coped with the war and the effects it had on them. One actor, Engineering sophomore Rafe Pery, said the play provides him with an opportunity to explore a character that is opposite his own. "[I'm] interested in exploring the character since [the character] is propelled by the excitment that comes with killing and fighting -- a real sicko," Pery added. The Theatre Arts program at the University is designed to allow new directors and actors an opportunity to grow, both by studying theater in the classroom and by being involved in actual productions. Wasted Director Sara Rutstein, a College junior, said she is enjoying working with the neophytes in the show. "It's a good group," Rutstein said. "They're great. It's funny because none of them had too much experience. . . In fact, some had never been on stage before." And the eager group of actors also said they enjoy the performing experience. The Enemy Within and Wasted open 8 p.m. Thursday in the Annenberg Studio Theater and will run through Saturday. Tickets are on sale on Locust Walk.

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