Amateur directors show off work

Tonight and tomorrow night University students will have the opportunity to see the directors of some of next year's performances absolutely free. The Advanced Directing Class will present the final scenes of 12 different plays to the public for their final project, according to College junior Chris Stillwell. Stillwell said the students will be directing their scenes as if each were a play within itself. He also said students are responsible for casting and arranging rehearsals on their own. The talent ranges from actors in major shows to the directors' roommates. College junior Sherry Cooper chose the scene she will direct based on the actors she had cast. Cooper said the last scene of August Strindberg's Miss Julie, which she is directing, portrays a battle of the sexes that utilizes the chemistry between the two actors she noticed when working with them before. "I chose the scene according to what I thought would work for them," Cooper explains. The shows has a lot to offer actors and directors alike, students say. "The scenes are a good thing because they allow people to watch new actors and up-and-coming directors," Stillwell said. He also noted that four of the students are scheduled to direct entire plays next year, including Macbeth and Agatha Christie's Mousetrap. Stillwell added that going to the performance would also offer something for those not yet part of the theater community. "They give students a chance to see what the theater arts program is like and find out if they're interested," he said. The scenes will be graded by Ian Watson, the professor of the class, according to Sorg. The performances, consisting of six different scenes each night, will be held at 8 p.m. in the Studio Theatre at Annenberg. A advanced acting class will also be held in the theater at 5 p.m. The class is free and open to the public.