by Sebastian Gordon

On April 19th and 20th, the Directing 1 Class presented “Close Contact,” A Festival Series of One Acts. It was held at the Ashmore Auditorium and was held exclusively for PSC students and faculty. The show was comprised of ten individual one acts. 

Both nights consisted of five stories which ranged from humorous pieces to tragedies. Katelin Kaplan describes the show as “A 60s sitcom come to life.”

Each piece had a different director. Those students being; Ashlynn Rawls with Assistant Director Dahlys Lorenz (“Electric Roses” by David Howard), Christopher- James Helt (“Gave Her the Eye” by John Sheehy), Jacob Ryan with Assistant Director Olivia Kegley (“Drive Angry” by Matt Pelfrey), Jack Lackery (“Road Trip” by Victoria Norman Brown), Katelin Kaplan (“Making the Call” by Jane Martin), Keanu-Michael Zambrana (“Down Town” by Jeffrey Hatcher), Laura Connally (“Go Look” by Christopher Graybill), Megan McGuyre (“Trifles” by Susan Glaspell), Michael Miller (“Gray Matter” by Jeanette D. Farr), Shelby Stallworth (“Funeral Parlor” by Christopher Durang). 

The director, “Trifles,” Megan McGuyre, states, “The results of all our hard work felt relieving and satisfying like you knew that every hour, every effort, every drop of sweat you put into your work made something amazing. Even if it wasn’t perfect, it was a reflection of your passion and creativity that you could appreciate wholly. I had an amazing time working with my actors, and this experience has made me look to the future with a lot less fear and more excitement.” 

 Many students worked together to bring these stories to life. The talented students included; David Matthews, Daniel Cheer, Eli Cook, Gene Alexander, Kayla Phillips, Logan Bristol, Lucas Anderson, Marley Reynolds, Michael A. Neyra Jr, Natalie Wright, Nicole Dickson, Nicholas Campo, Olivia Kegley, Ralph Schofield, Romela Romero, Ryan Frank, Shane McDivitt, Virginia Burton. 

It was clear how close the community was, as they offered luck and positive feedback to their peers. 

Everyone who worked on this project feels it was a fulfilling community experience. Megan McGuyre says, “It was a fascinating experience and I loved working with everyone. It felt like no one was ever working alone; whether it was with fellow directors or actors, you felt like you were in it all together.” 

It was an amazing experience and a very incredible show. You could tell how committed the cast was to properly portraying these various stories. The student directors and their assistants conveyed their passions. 

The hardwork and dedication to produce a good performance was worth the effort. All the students involved created wonderful artwork and should be proud of their achievements.