Fisher’s Interdisciplinary Arts Program is set to launch its first annual One-Act Play Theater Festival, a new opportunity for students to explore and showcase their theatrical talents. The festival, taking place on Friday, Feb. 21, and Saturday, Feb. 22, at 7:30 p.m., will be held in the Murphy Black Box Theater, a cutting-edge performance space that has only been in use for about a year. Admission is free.
According to the festival organizer, Jeremy Sarachan, the event will allow students to participate in all aspects of theater, from writing and acting to directing.
“We want to take advantage of interest in theater in a way that Fisher maybe hasn’t done in the past. We also have, in order to support that, this new theater—the Black Box Theater—which is a really nice space,” Sarachan said.
The festival will feature eight one-act plays written, directed, and performed primarily by students. In addition to student involvement, faculty, and staff members are also participating. Three professors, Dr. Lauren Kocman (economics & the Honors Program), Dr. Greg Cunningham (biology), and Professor Jeremy Sarachan (media and communication & interdisciplinary arts) will act in a play, while another professor with a background in theater, Dr. Melissa Bissonette (English), is directing. A staff member from the School of Nursing, Liam Tuffy (administrative assistant in the school of nursing), will also perform in multiple plays.
One of the student-written plays, “We Need Some Space,” is co-written by Carson Cognetti and Sophia Smith; it tells the story of a couple on the brink of divorce who get stuck in an elevator on their way to meet their lawyer. “It’s a drama but it’s also very comedic because of the two professors who are acting,” Cognetti said, describing the play.
Cognetti plays a small role as an electrician who fixes the elevator at the end of the play, but he has played a much more important role in the play’s creation. “Last semester for Jeremy Sarachan’s theater class, I wrote a play, and he liked it, so he hired me for this one,” Cognetti said. “I’m very grateful for Professor Sarachan.”
To encourage student participation, the festival is structured as a credit-earning opportunity. “It’s not a class per se, but participation in rehearsals and performances can earn students credit,” Sarachan explained. Some students are even using the festival for Keystone credit as part of their Honors Program requirements.
Rehearsals are taking place six days a week in preparation for the performances, with Tech Week being two weeks prior to opening night. While the final running time has yet to be determined, the full program is expected to last approximately 90 minutes each evening. The performances will be the same on both nights.
For students like Jacquie Williams, an actor in three of the plays, the festival represents a chance to step out of her comfort zone and embrace new creative opportunities. “It’s really cool because Fisher doesn’t really have a lot of theater things,” Williams said. “It’s a really good opportunity for people in the sciences and in other occupations to really get out there and do things outside their comfort zone.”
As for the content of the plays, attendees can expect a mix of genres. “They’re mostly comedies, but not all comedies,” Sarachan said. “Some are like a horror film. It’s different types of narratives. Unlike the more politically charged plays we’ve done in theater and social change courses, these plays aren’t dealing with current world events—they’re more about entertainment and storytelling.”
Williams is performing in “The Devil’s Gambit,” “Lost,” and “Escape.” When asked what the audience should take away from these plays, Williams shared that “The Devil’s Gambit” is about having fun and seeing the humor in life, while “‘No Escape,’ is about not freaking out in serious situations.” “Lost” shows the importance of not getting overwhelmed by others’ problems. “I’ve found that out in my own life, so it’s something I can portray on stage very easily,” she explained.
The Murphy Black Box Theater itself adds to the experience. “It’s quite the technological feat,” Sarachan adds. “I’ve had people from other schools come in and say, ‘This space is great.’ We have an elaborate lighting grid and advanced sound capabilities. While we don’t focus much on set building in this space, we’re taking full advantage of what we can do with lighting and sound.”
“We hope people take the time to come out,” Sarachan said. “It’ll be a fun evening and a chance to see something that hasn’t been done much at Fisher before.”
The event is open to the public, providing an opportunity for both students and local theater enthusiasts to experience this new addition to campus life.
