Students seeking entertainment are never disappointed by the consistently bizarre yet equally hilarious Drama Lab performances shown nearly every weekend. Cross-dressing husbands, outrageously condescending Hollywood agents and bipolar in-laws were just a few of the ridiculous characters of the three performances this past Friday evening. “Naomi in the Living Room,” directed by Emily Hutcheson-Tipton ’10, revolves around the chaos of a wedded couple’s visit with a mentally unstable mother-in-law. Starring John (Matt Kelley ’10), the manly, stable husband, his terrified wife Johnna (Casey McQuillen ’11) and the senile in-law Naomi (Annie Pates ’10), the play delves into the chaotic unpredictable nature of humanity. However, as the plot progresse and Naomi’s intense mood swings between shrieking laughter and tremendous anger begin to get out of control, the tables quickly turn and the attention focuses on John, who re-enters fully dressed in women’s clothing. With Naomi furiously ranting at Johnna, John obliviously runs around the room, stopping only to occasionally pose femininely at members of the audience, who, albeit confused, were slapping their knees with laughter. The play finally comes to a conclusion when the completely humiliated Johnna, not knowing what else to do, drags her transvestite husband out as Naomi continues to feverishly spit death threats at the pair. Hutcheson-Tipton said, “Working with Annie, Mat, and Casey–who have all grown so much as actors– was an amazing experience for me. This was my first time directing and I was a little worried in the beginning about casting less-experienced actors. But, I believe that Drama Labs allow more people to get experience in theater and that’s just what this was: quite an experience! At times, the audience both laughed out loud and squirmed in their seats because of the sexual tension on stage. I’m really glad, because this was the exact reaction I was aiming for.” “The Contract,” directed by Tavie Abell, had only two actors: Phil (B.J. Garry ’10 ), a maniacal Hollywood agent, and Tom (Ben Podell ’11), a naïve, unemployed actor. The play depicts the development of Tom, who, originally entranced by the glamour of Hollywood life, allows Phil to manipulate and toy with him. Abell said, “I was very pleased that our cast worked really well together and that my actors were responsive to my direction, especially since it was my first time directing. Also, I was really lucky to have Courtney King [’10] as my stage manager.” The final Drama Lab, “The Role of Della,” was directed by Yisa Fermin ’08. Following the story of an aspiring actress Elizabeth (Grace Hoyt ’11), “The Role of Della” takes a sardonic yet comical look at the dog-eat-dog world of acting. Desperately auditioning for the highly competitive role of Della, Elizabeth repeatedly tries to convince the embittered casting director Emma (Jean Fang ’08) that she deserves the part. But, the audience later discovers the irony of the situation when the real director (Kevin Carey ’11) walks in and reveals that Emma is actually just another actress auditioning for the same part. Despite the general inexperience of the directors and the uncomfortable stuffiness of the packed Theatre classroom, this past Friday’s round of Drama Labs were met with thunderous applause.
