Nestled amongst the quiet classrooms of the Archer building, Suffolk’s black box theater played host to the Fall Showcase, a collection of one act shows, written, directed and performed by students. Throughout the long weekend, students performed in four different short plays.
As the show begins, the theatre goes dark and the lights come up on several characters, gathered in a hospital room. The first play, “Almost Time,” tells the story of a family coming to terms with their brother, Sunny, dying of AIDS on New Year’s Eve.
“I was extremely proud of my cast, and the Fall Showcase Company as a whole,” said Tom Martin, writer and director of, “Almost Time.”
“They did an amazing job of bringing their characters and their stories to life,” Martin said. “It was truly a pleasure to see them change and grow throughout the rehearsal process to present a polished and beautiful piece throughout the performances.”
Following, “Almost Time” was “The Normal Election,” written and directed by Bobby Zupkofska. The plot chronicles two eccentric politicians, both competing to be the next mayor of a city called “Normal.” Throughout the act, chaos ensues in the unorthodox election that clearly parodies the American election system as quirky renditions of the presidential anthem, “Hail to the Chief” play, transitioning between scenes. The play has the characters address current issues like gay marriage and gun control in comedic ways, as they try their best to appeal to the public from the comfort of their own homes.
The next play, “Fire and Rain” paints a realistic picture of family and the struggles siblings face in their adult life. Written and directed by Paige Monopoli, the story begins with Joseph, one of four brothers in an Italian family who has take on the responsibility of taking care of his mother who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
As each of the siblings are introduced throughout the play, each brother’s personality comes to life, exposing the qualms they have with each other, and the stress of watching their mother succumb to her disease. In the final minutes of the play, it is exposed to the audience that the birthday party that Joseph and his wife were planning for the oldest brother, Leo, was a party in remembrance of the one year anniversary of his death, a fact kept secret from Joseph’s elderly mother.
Finally, in “Boys, Beds, and Bad Decisions,” Alexa R. Costa tells the comical story of a girl, Emma, who wakes up one morning to find three of her ex-boyfriends in her bed, with no explanation or recollection of how any of them got there. As the scenes unfold, flashbacks to each of Emma’s doomed relationships play out. From her drunken one night stands, to her more serious relationships, the audience sees it all in colorful humor and harsh relatability.
The Fall Showcase is just one of several annual performances the Theatre Department sponsors.
“The showcases we have here at the Theatre Department are always most of our (theatre students) favorite shows of the year because while they’re supported greatly by the aid of the Theatre Deptartment faculty, they’re mostly a student-led effort,” said Martin. The Spring Showcase is already in the works for the coming semester.
