On Apr. 10 and 12, the University of Michigan-Flint held its annual Short Play Fest in the UM-Flint Theatre Black Box studio that showcased six different student directed plays and one student playwright. This event is part of a required class for theatre majors called Theatre 320 Intro to Directing: Principles and Theatre 415 Special Projects in Directing, where students gained hands-on experience directing, stage managing and handling light and sound
For many students, this was their first directing project. Reese Garfield, a junior theatre major who directed the short play “Different Loads” by Jennie Webber, said that she enjoyed the experience and has had an interest in directing.
“It was a fun experience. I have always been interested in directing, and working with peers has been beneficial,” Garfield said. “I felt anxious during the performance, but afterwards I felt really accomplished.”
Austin Bishop, a senior theatre major, said that his group spent about a month working on their play. “I think with the way this year’s schedule was, we actually had less time to work on this project,” Bishop said. “But even so, my group stayed calm and committed to the task at hand. As far as planning goes, we started with a read-through. And then, we spent the next several weeks blocking out our beats.”
Acting in the plays and watching them was open to everyone in the Flint community. “I feel as though no matter your background, there is some resonance within theatre that we can tie back into our own lives. Theatre is everywhere!” Bishop said.
Noah Anthony, a sophomore theatre major, said operating and handling sound was easier than he expected. “It’s been a chill, actually. Operating the sound board is cool – not as hard as I initially thought it was going to be.” Members got to play several parts, rotating between operating technical equipment, acting, directing and stage managing.
The Short Play Fest is the recipient of the University of Michigan’s Arts Initiative Student Mini-Grant Program, which gives different events up to $1,000 in funding for support.
