Perspective
From one act plays to spelling bees, the University of New Haven Theater Company is bringing two on-stage productions to Bucknall Theater this year, “All in the Timing” on Nov. 13-16, and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” on April 9-12.
“All in the Timing,” by David Ives, is a straight nonmusical show consisting of six- one act plays. According to the director of this production, Margearet F. Savilonis, who recently did a reading of the script with the official cast, this show reads around 90 minutes. Pair that with the intermission that will take place in between acts one and two (both are three acts long) and the event will take less than two hours. This is a change from what the company did last fall. Savilonis said “last fall’s show was a three-hour meditation on life, love, loss, betrayal, and hope.”
The director also stressed the importance of the opportunities this show would give to the actors, some of whom are playing multiple roles. She said this show is traditionally performed by five actors playing 18 roles, but she was able to cast 11 because Savilonis said she thought the students being able to play multiple roles would be a fun challenge. This unique theatrical performance has a mix of humor and pathos in its telling of multiple stories.“All in the Timing” is not the only new and unique challenge the company is taking on this year, as Rachel Sheinkin’s “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” brings its own original obstacles for its cast and crew to hurdle.
This musical, directed by Johnathan Yukich, is a lighthearted show about children of middle school-age striving to win the county’s spelling bee– though as the audience will discover, the realities of something so childish and happy are not always as they seem. This show serves partially as a commentary on how you never know what others are going through. As Yukich said, “The musical is hilarious, but it also has heart.”
If this was not daunting enough, there is one obstacle larger than the rest for this production, and that is the interactive pieces of the show. In this musical, cast members call out certain audience members to participate in the spelling bee with the characters, as explained by Eastern Connecticut State University’s theater website. Depending on the situation, audience members can be in the show for a considerable time or could be instantly eliminated and it all depends on their ability to spell.
“To a big degree, you have to try and prepare for the unknown. A bit daunting but also super fun,” said Yukich.
Not only are the directors ready for these unique performances but actors say they are as well. Jade Edwards-Figueroa, a first-year student who plays multiple roles in “All in the Timing,” is confident in her ability to take on the task.
“I am very excited because of the nature of the performance, because it’s so many small little shows in one big production.” Edward-Figueroa said.
For students who want to get involved, there is still a chance to get into “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” Auditions for the show are Dec. 3. For more information, email the director, [email protected].
