When two College of Lake County students were selected to direct plays at the sixth annual Play On! Theatre Student Showcase opening Friday, both said they were interested in plays that were socially relevant, said Craig Rich, co-chairman of the schools’ theatre department.
They chose two different plays — one a comedic satire and the other, a more serious piece — but each will inspire the audience in a similar way, he said.
Moises Diaz of Waukegan is directing “Los Vendidos,” written by Luis Valdez and El Teatro Campesion. Sharone Beckless of Mundelein is directing “Far Away,” by Caryl Churchill, one of Rich’s favorite playwrights, he said.
Diaz and Beckless have taken directing classes at CLC and assisted in directing “The Tempest,” by William Shakespeare, produced in March.
“The plays they’ve chosen are very exciting to me,” Rich said, “because they want us to think about issues and leave the theater thinking about what we as citizens can do to make our community, our country, our world, a better place.”
Los Vendidos or “The Sellouts,” was written in the late 1960s and deals with Mexican-American stereotypes, and how Mexican-Americans struggle to find identity and equality in the United States, he said.
“A lot of what’s happening right now in the political realm ties very well into this play. The play itself is a satire. It’s trying to make a point by being funny. The playwright is making fun of certain stereotypes, but by doing that is trying to call attention to important issues,” he said.
“What’s really exciting for me is to have a group of Latino students who are in rehearsal talking about these characters, talking about their own experience and bringing that into the rehearsal room. I’m not sure those students have had that opportunity in the past to do a play like this.”
“Moises is helping his actors make some big choices and grounding those choices into something that feels genuine and honest.”
“People should come prepared to both laugh and that after they’re done laughing, think about what they’ve just laughed about, which is what great satire is. When we watch ‘Saturday Night Live,’ some of the best segments make us laugh hysterically. Then we realize there’s something we have to think about, and hopefully do something about.”
Beckless is directing a more serious play, which will also give the audience pause to think and examine their beliefs, Rich said.
“It’s almost like a cautionary tale, that if we continue down a certain road, there are consequences for that.”
The play begins with a young girl named Joan who is visiting her aunt and sees something out of the window that is violent and disturbing.
“The aunt tries to convince her it’s nothing to be concerned about,” Rich said.
“We see Joan later as a young adult who has a job, and her job is to make hats. Throughout the scene, we realize these hats have a sinister purpose. They’re spectacular and extravagant and artistic, but they’re being used in a way that is disturbing.”
This main character, Joan, is trying to understand what is happening in the world around her and decide if she should get involved and how dangerous it might be, he said.
“One of the things Sharone is focusing on is really developing the characters,” Rich said. “There are a number of issues that are right underneath the surface, so Sharone has been doing a lot of work with the actors to explore those moments and what’s simmering underneath.”
Since the theatre department began Play On! six years ago, Craig said he’s learned the program is helping students when they transfer to four-year schools to complete their bachelor’s degrees.
More Top Picks Best Monitors For Graphic Design
“The feedback we’ve gotten from students is that it’s really helped them,” he said.
Diaz and Beckless hope to major in theatre at a four-year university next year, he said.
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance writer.
Play On! A CLC Theatre Student Showcase
When: 7:30 p.m., April 8, 9, 14, 15, 16; 2 p.m., April 10
Where: College of Lake County, 19351 Washington St., Grayslake
Tickets: $10-$12; Buy one, get one free, April 8 and 14
Information: 847-543-2300; jlc.clcillinois.edu