Student produced. Student written. Student directed. Student acted. Student run. The Town Crier theatre festival gives Puget Sound students a wonderful opportunity to gain experience in every aspect of theatrical production.
Months of careful preparation culminated in the Seventh Annual Town Crier Speaks Festival on Oct. 10-12, divided across three evenings of laughter, tears, thoughtful reflections and glimpses into the vast realm of the theatrical experience.
Go was about a failing show told from the perspective of the back-stage crew. A production of King Lear-in-space goes horribly wrong when sound and light cues do not synchronize, King Lear breaks his leg and Cordelia gets the flu, which meant that one of the crew-members had to fill in for her. All goes according to plan despite the unlikely understudy, King Lear using a walker and music starting randomly throughout the scene. After all, the show must go on!
Casey Oakes’s Go was directed by Andrew Lutfala. Go starred Sarah McKinley as the stage manager, Jordyn Jones as the lights technician, Maddie Peckenpaugh as the sound technician, Bobbijo Katigiri as the assistant stage manager and Elijah Reed as King Lear.
A Toy for Juliet was about a girl getting her 18th birthday presents from her sister and grandfather.
However, as the story progressed, the audience began to realize that Juliet’s “toys” were actually people
that she tortured to death for fun, and that her grandfather was a time-traveller who would bring back historically famous men and women for her sadistic pleasures. When Grandfather returned with a British physician, Juliet had a birthday she will never forget. Meanwhile, historians are still debating what exactly happened to Jack the Ripper…
Lindsey Salazar’s A Toy for Juliet, based on a story by Robert Bloch, was directed by Jake Bisuut. A Toy for Juliet starred Erin Broughan as Juliet, Laura Shearer as Justine and Zeman Nathoo as the Toy.
Pendulum was about two men who had barricaded the roof of a K-Mart to outlast a zombie apocalypse. Their conversations meander from deep philosophizing to family stories to games of “I Spy,” which eventually leads to intense hunger and growing insanity after many days with each other. When it is the end of the world and your friend is starving, do not hold out on a surprise snack.
Jordan Moeller’s Pendulum was directed by Darrin Shultz, and starred Mason Kale and Xeno Fish.
After intermission, a janitor came on stage to begin cleaning. He soon realized that it was not the end of the show. He proceeded to relate his life story to the audience about how he wanted to be an actor but ended up a janitor.
Uncertain of how to respond, the audience sat in silence as he begged for a reaction to his words and proceeded to put a gun to his temple. He soon laughed and revealed that the gun was in fact a prop, a fake, and commented that he could have been a great actor. This play reminds us to thank and appreciate the custodial staff in our lives.
Andrew Lutfala’s Encore was directed by Ellie Freeman, and starred Austen Harrison as the Janitor.
Human Resources was about a first date gone horribly wrong between an aspiring employee and the son of the boss who sincerely lacks knowledge of social boundaries. No matter how desperate you may be, licking is never okay.
Daniel C. Smith’s Human Resources was directed by Sophie Schwartz and starred Molly Gregory as Jenna, Bebe LaGrua as Mrs. Hegelson and Blake Erickson as Stevie.
A Case Worth Taking was a stereotypical detective story that was so ridiculous, it was hilarious. A man’s briefcase is stolen, so the owner hires Jack Crenshaw to take the case for his case. Crenshaw sifts through clues to find the precious briefcase containing something to do with submarines.
After being drugged, tied up and interrogated, Crenshaw recovers the stolen property to find nothing of what he was looking for except for a prototype sandwich. Well, it is all in a day’s work!
Darrin Schultz’s A Case Worth Taking was directed by Emily Rychlick, and starred Billy Krolick as Jack Crenshaw, Kyle Dybdal as Mr. Hewitt, Andrea Eaton as Ronnie and Claire Martin as Jasmine Donnahue.
