FET Spring Playwrights’ Festival Sees Success

“The Twirly Whind,” written and directed by Erin Kiernan and Andrew Wilson, FCRH ’19, was one of the four original plays at FET’s Spring Playwrights’ Festival. (Courtesy of Andrew Wilson)

By Bailey Hosfelt 

“Home Sweet Home Depot” written and directed by Tim Mountain, FCRH ’19

Cast:
Manager: Sarah Hill, FCRH ’17
Dave: Liam Paris, FCRH ’17
Deb: Brenna Joyce, FCRH ’19
Peter: Jack Whyte, FCRH ’19
Nora/Betty: Alex Mandalakis, FCRH ’20

The Fordham Ram: For those who were not able to make it out to the performances, what was your play about?

Tim Mountain: My play is a musical about a man who wakes up one morning and realizes he loves Home Depot and hates his wife. But when he gets to his local Home Depot, he learns they’re shutting down the branch. In the midst of his crumbling marriage, he rallies the Home Depot employees to lock themselves inside the store in protest.

TFR: What did the preparation process look like?

TM: I was initially writing the play as a five-minute sketch. The premise was just a man who has a deep, almost sexual, fervor for home improvement. I had it sitting in a folder somewhere for at least a month before I rediscovered it and decided it could become an absurd, satirical one-act if I just added a little more conflict. It wasn’t until I was almost done with it that I realized I could interpolate music into the script.

The rehearsal process was short, especially for a show that required learning songs and (minimal) choreography, but my cast was incredible. They were unendingly willing, enthusiastic and helpful. Somehow we got it all done in time.

TFR: How did you get the idea for your play?

TM: My best friend Jack (the same one in the show!) and I came up with a bit about two guys drunk in a Home Depot one time, and it was that idea that I’d originally thought might work as a sketch. When I wrote the sketch, I just decided to make the man love-drunk for Home Depot.

TFR: How was your play received by audience members?

TM: I don’t want to bask in self-aggrandizement here, but I will say that each audience appeared to be very receptive and supportive of “Home Sweet Home Depot.” The quality of the show is mostly dependent on the audience, and I’d say we had fantastic audiences each night.

TFR: What was the most memorable part about your play’s involvement in this year’s festival?

TM: Getting to be involved in this semester’s Playwright’s Festival was special for many reasons, not in the least because I proved to myself that this whole thing – writing, composing and directing a show – is something I can actually do. The help I got from the FET e-board, the other playwrights and of course, my cast, probably accounts for about 70 percent of the success of this production.

“Heisting” written and directed by Jennifer Gisi, FCRH ’20

Cast:
Kate: Cat Gallagher, FCRH ’17
Linda: Alejandra Rodriguez, FCRH ’19
Eddie: Charles Buscarino, FCRH ’20
Rebecca: Samantha Heigel, FCRH ’20
Corey: Annie Young, FCRH ’19
Xander: Simon Rodriguez, GSB ’20
Cop: Matt Schumacher, FCRH ’20
Lights and Sound: Rachel Blackburn, FCRH ’20

The Fordham Ram: For those who were not able to make it out to the performances, what was your play about?

Jennifer Gisi: “Heisting” was about a group of 20-somethings who decide that they should rob the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The only problem is, all they know about pulling a heist comes from movies and books – most notably, Ocean’s Eleven.

TFR: What did the preparation process look like?

JG: The play took about a week to write, and another week to edit and polish. Because spring break took place over our rehearsal time, we rehearsed almost every night for the week before break and the week after, up until opening night. Our group was lucky enough to get access to the performance space with regularity, so everyone was comfortable in the Blackbox.

TFR: How did you get the idea for your play?

JG: I got the idea for the play much like the characters did for their heist: from watching Ocean’s Eleven. I grew up watching the movie and it continues to blow my mind that they could successfully rob three casinos at once.

TFR: How was your play received by audience members?

JG: With each performance, the play was received better by the audience, partly because the actors were more comfortable and the tech aspects were smoother, and partly because the audience was bigger. Friday and Saturday both went really well.

TFR: What was the most memorable part about your play’s involvement in this year’s festival?

JG: The most memorable part for me was our cast bonding session, where we got together and watched Ocean’s Eleven. In case it isn’t clear, Ocean’s Eleven is one of my favorite movies, but it wasn’t until we all watched the movie together that I fully understood how they pulled off the heist. (For the record, this was about the 16th time I’ve watched the movie.) Anyway, getting to hang out with some of the funniest and coolest people I’ve ever met and watching a movie that I love is the most memorable part from our preparation of the play.

“The Twirly Whind” written and directed by Erin Kiernan and Andrew Wilson, FCRH ’19

Cast:
Judd: Gavin Barba, FCRH ’17
Beth Anne: Hillary Bosch, FCRH, ’19
Willoughby J. Duquesne: Patrick Hood, FCRH, ’17
The Wife: Caitlyn Letterii, FCRH, ’17
The Mayor: Matthew Schumacher, FCRH ’17
Rena Brand, FCRH, ’18, Lighting
Andrew Wilson, FCRH, ’19, Sound

The Fordham Ram: For those who were not able to make it out to the performances, what was your play about?

Erin Kiernan and Andrew Wilson: It is the year 1847. Four pioneers embark on a journey from Independence, Missouri to Oregon’s Willamette Valley. We encounter a series of obstacles, and none of the four pioneers make it to their destination. Only at the end of the play does the audience learn that the pioneers are inside of the Oregon Trail computer game.

TFR: What did the preparation process look like?

EK & AW: We brainstormed for a few months and finally settled on “The Twirly Whind” over winter break. The actual writing process did not take too long. We often wrote over a meal or in the library together. After we cast our actors and the rehearsal process began, the actors were given the liberty to ad-lib some lines. As a result, the script was edited in some places and augmented in others. It was a very collaborative effort.

The rehearsal process began with a read-through of the play. After that, rehearsals consisted of run-throughs, and we gradually added props and blocking. There were about three rehearsals a week. The actors were expected to be off-book before they left for spring break. The week we returned from spring break was tech week, during which sounds and lighting were added.

TFR: How did you get the idea for your play?

EK & AW: It just came to us!

TFR: How was your play received by audience members?

EK & AW: We got lots of laughs! We especially loved the “Ohhhhh’s” the audience released when it was revealed the entire play was a computer game (we had provided subtle clues along the way). The audience was enormous and had very high energy on Friday and Saturday. The Thursday audience was smaller, but it was still a great show.

TFR: What was the most memorable part about your play’s involvement in this year’s festival?

EK & AW: We loved every moment of the process! The goofy concept and the amazing cast was a recipe for fun. We were so proud of them all that we filmed the show every single night.

“STEXIT” written and directed by Emma Carey and Kevin O’Malley, FCRH ’19

Cast:
Ted: Liam Paris, FCRH ’17
Emily: Niara Walden, FCRH ’17
Samantha Borgens: Jamie Connors, FCRH ’18
James Oddo: Joseph Rufini, FCRH ’20
Donna Cavatelli: Alex Brennan, FCRH ’19
Toni Malnati: Sereene Kurzum, FCRH ’20
Nikki Montucci: Annina Black, FCRH ’19
Teresa Gould: Eleanor Vaughan, FCRH ’20
Terry Palermo: Daniel Joy, FCRH ‘20

The Fordham Ram: For those who were not able to make it out to the performances, what was your play about?

Emma Carey and Kevin O’Malley: Our play was an offbeat comedy about a fictional board meeting between NYC Board of Boroughs Human Resources Officer, Samantha Borgens, and the Staten Island People’s Association regarding New York City’s shift from a five-borough to a four-borough system with Staten Island becoming part of NJ instead of NYC.

TFR: What did the preparation process look like?

EC & KO: We would just meet up in a study lounge or one of our dorms with our Google Doc open and throw ideas around. We’d end up feeding off of each other so much as we wrote, which definitely resulted in this continued “upping the stakes” of the show’s plot and pacing. Our rehearsal process initially focused on understanding the play’s humor and our actors’ character and group identity.

TFR: How did you get the idea for your play?

EC & KO: We entered our brainstorming process without any clear direction besides our shared affinity for deadpan, offbeat and irreverent comedy. Ultimately, our inspiration for the play drew from the declassification of Pluto as a planet in 2006. We’d sort of just joked, “Okay, if New York City were to declassify one of the boroughs for lacking in ‘NYC qualifications,’ which would it be?”

TFR: How was your play received by audience members?

EC & KO: Luckily, our concern regarding some possible offense to any Staten Island natives in the crowd was met with zero backlash (or walk-outs). We were the first play in the history of Fordham Experimental Theatre that had to have a disclaimer put in the program because the Office of Student Involvement deemed it too offensive, which is hilarious. Our play had its moments of offense, but the overwhelming response was that kids saw the humor in it, realized its satirical nature and comedy prevailed once again.

TFR: What was the most memorable part about your play’s involvement in this year’s festival?

EC & KO: Ironically enough, for a festival centered around playwriting, our favorite aspect was watching a play arise throughout the production process that wasn’t even there in the original script. So many of our favorite lines were actually ad-libbed or thrown out as jokes during rehearsals. We began the production process telling our cast that we wanted the end-product of our show to be completely collaborative, and it was in every way. Watching those specific parts of the show and remembering how they came to fruition was just such a cool pay-off.

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