Suite Success

Six plays. One stage. You do the math.

Students in North Lake’s drama program are competing for rehearsal space these days, and working long hours.

Once again, as they have for almost a decade, a group of advanced student directors has emerged from the Visual & Performing Arts Department to stage a series of one acts. The 2005 season features six one acts from Neil Simon’s classic plays Plaza Suite and California Suite.

“We started preparing last semester with the text side of it. We studied what’s called the Hodge Method, a play directing book by a guy who used to teach at UT,” said Director Michael Thomas.

Thomas and his actors spend many evenings on stage, or wherever they can, rehearsing their contribution to the program, “Visitors From Hollywood.” The one act was first produced in 1968 as part of Simon‘s Plaza Suite.

Another one act to be produced from Plaza Suite is “Visitors from Forest Hills.” The remainder of the program includes one acts from Simon‘s California Suite. They include “Visitors from New York,” “Visitors From Philadelphia,” “Visitors from London,” and “Visitors from Chicago.”

Director Brittney Hobden presents “Visitors from Chicago.” As she stands in the middle of a pale and stylish hotel room set, Hobden describes it as a story of “two couples who go on vacation together and at the end of three weeks they’ve grown to hate each other.”

The six one acts chosen by the student directors and theater department head, Alice Butler, are Simon classics.

“We picked the Simon suites because they’re hilarious,” said Thomas.

Student-directed plays are now produced every other year, rather than annually. Students have had every drama class offered by the time they reach the student director program. They have achieved some degree of success as an actor or in other roles.

According to the production coordinator, Deborah Ragsdale, “patience, dedication, and acting ability” are qualities that make a student director successful.

“These kids have had everything that we can give them so that they’re ready,” said Butler.

Another change made this year has turned into a huge time saver.

“This is the first time we’ve used the same set. They all had to agree, so we had director-designer conferences,” said Butler, “They all agreed on basically the same ground plan so that we can light each of the shows the same.”

Simplification and collaboration seem to be the buzzwords related to this year’s production. Despite the enormity of the task at hand, the six director-and-actor units seem well choreographed when it comes to sharing space, getting use of the stage, and attending to production details.

“Even though we’re doing individual shows it’s very collaborative. They’re protecting each other, looking out for each other, and helping each other,” said Butler.

“If you come two consecutive nights, you’ll have an opportunity to see all six shows,” she added.

Three of the six one acts will play each evening.