Members of ACT UP join hands during a scene of "30 Plays for 30 Days." The first student-directed play of the year was a compilation of 30 plays, each representing an important event in history that occurred on each respective date. (Kevin Kadooka -- The Beacon)
By Jocelyne LaFortune, Staff Writer -- lafortun12@up.edu
ACT UP has transformed into an active drama club whose goal is to expose others to the art of theater. Last weekend, ACT UP showcased its first play of the year, "30 Plays for 30 Days," in the Recital Hall at the Mago Hunt Center. According to senior Alex Kirby, a member of ACT UP and an actor in the play, this is the first UP production written, produced, and performed by students in recent history.
"We wanted to do something from the ground up," ACT UP President senior Conor Eifler said. "We want to tell stories, why not tell 30 of them?"
Six students worked over the summer to write and rehearse the plays in junior Eric Lyness' garage. They also directed and acted in each short play
"This project was all of our ideas," Lyness said. "We created this project with an equal stake and learned from our experiences, and learned about what it takes to produce a play"
"30 Plays for 30 Days" was a production of 30 short plays, free to the public, each play representing a historical day in September. The moments in history ACT UP focused on spanned throughout time from the creation of the massive search engine Google, to when Sweden's traffic switched to the right side of the road. Each short play was based on a true story, but the dialogue and some characters in the play were fictional and were created to highlight moral values in the historical dates.
"Sweden switching to the right side of the road represents taking risks," Kirby said. "One of the characters in this play, Johan, says that he'd rather take a risk and make a difference, than settle for mediocrity."
The club has many things planned for this year that need approval by the Board of Producers. In the coming months, ACT UP may host a variety show, a musical written by a student and an open mic night.
"I would definitely watch another show," senior Jamie Kluth said. "It was awesome to see a huge range of serious and humorous topics and I feel that (after watching) I have a well rounded view of humanity."
ACT UP produces shows that are free for the public, but encourages donations from its audience in order to continue entertaining the UP community.
