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Seniors present one-woman show
August 30, 2007
Seniors Julie Wolfson and Tristan Morris will jumpstart the fall theater season by presenting the first play of the year Sept. 6 through 9 in Eastvold Auditorium.
Morris directs and Wolfson stars in Jane Wagner’s one-woman play, “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.” The piece was originally written for actress Lily Tomlin, who performed it on Broadway for a number of years and eventually starred in the film adaptation.
The show centers on a bag lady, who, through electroshock therapy, has the ability to “dial switch” between people’s lives, Wolfson explained. In all, Wolfson portrays nearly 20 different characters, depicting snippets of each of their lives.
“(The play) shows the interconnectedness of people,” Wolfson said.
She compared the show’s premise to that of the movie “Love Actually” or the theory of six degrees of separation. While some connections are more obscure than others, the show demonstrates that links do exist.
Wolfson first saw the film adaptation of the play when Morris had to watch it as homework for a summer course he took on solo performance. Immediately, both were hooked and decided to bring it to PLU. After securing the rights, the two asked their theater professors to help them find a venue.
The show runs about two-and-a-half hours long, and it’s intense being the only person on stage, Wolfson said. At first, she was nervous about memorizing all her lines but quickly realized her greatest challenge would be portraying so many different characters. To bring each to life, she had to delve into the deeper thoughts, feelings and motivations of each of them.
“It’s been an emotional investment,” she said.
Wolfson said the success of the play relies heavily on her interaction with the audience, as she speaks directly to them during much of the show. To help her better engage the audience, a special seating section that holds about 120 people will be placed right at the edge of the stage, making the house smaller, she said.
“It’s comforting that there will be people going through this with me,” she said of the audience. “It’s a community building play. It brings the audience together.”
The community-building spirit of the play and the timing of the performances are not coincidental. The beginning of the year seemed the perfect time to present the performance, as this is the time when students, faculty and staff are re-establishing the campus community, she said.
Wolfson and Morris are using the show to launch a new theater club that will give theater majors the opportunity and financing to direct a performance. Currently, the only options available are the Alpha Psi Omega show later in the year and one-act plays. Typically, these shows are reserved for seniors directing their capstone projects, Wolfson said.
The two are currently financing their show through their own funds, which has been expensive, Wolfson said. The students plan to place the proceeds from this show into a rolling account, and the money will be used to finance future student shows.
The play will begin at 8 p.m. on Sept. 6, 7 and 8 and at 2 p.m. on Sept. 9. Tickets for Thursday night’s show are “pay what you can,” while Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s show cost $4 for the campus community and $7 for general admission. Tickets will be available at the door only.
The show centers on a bag lady, who, through electroshock therapy, has the ability to “dial switch” between people’s lives, Wolfson explained. In all, Wolfson portrays nearly 20 different characters, depicting snippets of each of their lives.
“(The play) shows the interconnectedness of people,” Wolfson said.
She compared the show’s premise to that of the movie “Love Actually” or the theory of six degrees of separation. While some connections are more obscure than others, the show demonstrates that links do exist.
Wolfson first saw the film adaptation of the play when Morris had to watch it as homework for a summer course he took on solo performance. Immediately, both were hooked and decided to bring it to PLU. After securing the rights, the two asked their theater professors to help them find a venue.
The show runs about two-and-a-half hours long, and it’s intense being the only person on stage, Wolfson said. At first, she was nervous about memorizing all her lines but quickly realized her greatest challenge would be portraying so many different characters. To bring each to life, she had to delve into the deeper thoughts, feelings and motivations of each of them.
“It’s been an emotional investment,” she said.
Wolfson said the success of the play relies heavily on her interaction with the audience, as she speaks directly to them during much of the show. To help her better engage the audience, a special seating section that holds about 120 people will be placed right at the edge of the stage, making the house smaller, she said.
“It’s comforting that there will be people going through this with me,” she said of the audience. “It’s a community building play. It brings the audience together.”
The community-building spirit of the play and the timing of the performances are not coincidental. The beginning of the year seemed the perfect time to present the performance, as this is the time when students, faculty and staff are re-establishing the campus community, she said.
Wolfson and Morris are using the show to launch a new theater club that will give theater majors the opportunity and financing to direct a performance. Currently, the only options available are the Alpha Psi Omega show later in the year and one-act plays. Typically, these shows are reserved for seniors directing their capstone projects, Wolfson said.
The two are currently financing their show through their own funds, which has been expensive, Wolfson said. The students plan to place the proceeds from this show into a rolling account, and the money will be used to finance future student shows.
The play will begin at 8 p.m. on Sept. 6, 7 and 8 and at 2 p.m. on Sept. 9. Tickets for Thursday night’s show are “pay what you can,” while Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s show cost $4 for the campus community and $7 for general admission. Tickets will be available at the door only.