As students performing in this year’s Emerson Play, The Reunion, file into the Black Box, they are not told what to do by the usual adult director. In this case, the director is someone much different and much younger: a fellow student.
The Reunion is an adaption of the play Wanda’s Visit, written by Christopher Durang. It is a comedy about a couple, Jim and Marsha, who encounter a visit from Wanda, Jim’s high school sweetheart.
The Reunion is directed by senior Laura Bartel. Directing, like most skills, is not something that can be picked up easily, according to Bartel.
“I started directing my sophomore year, and it’s definitely not something that comes to you. It takes a lot of practice,” said Bartel. “So, the most important part for me is to balance being a friend and being an authority.”
Bartel has classes with some of her actors and develops friendships with them, like any normal student would. An example of the balance that Bartel referred to is shown in her friendship with senior Lia Parker-Belfer.
“It’s kind of interesting because I have English class with Laura, so I know her on a personal level and we’re friends,” said Parker-Belfer. “But when we’re in the Black Box, it’s strictly business and I respect her on a different level, and that’s the way the relationship is.”
While Bartel has to be both a friend and a boss to her peers, the actors still love the experience and find this directing arrangement to be unique and beneficial, according to junior Danielle Balanov, a cast member.
“With an adult director, there is always some difference between the adult and the students,” said Balanov. “But here, there is no boundary because we are all going through the same things and experiencing school.”
Parker-Belfer agrees that having a student director adds a certain unconventionality to the play.
“I think it is really cool,” said Parker-Belfer. “Being directed by an adult is a lot different than having a younger perspective that is just starting out as a director.”
Bartel and sophomore Tova Rubenoff, the play’s assistant director, adapted the play Wanda’s Visit by adding a new monologue and writing in dialogue to make sure the play flowed well, according to Rubenoff.
Bartel hopes that her directing produces a play that is a funny and unique experience for her audience.
The Reunion will be performed Jan. 26-27 in the Black Box.
Corey Grill can be contacted at [email protected]
