April 20 2017
Story by Micah Oelze
Photos by Micah Oelze and Irina Connell
Four original plays selected from the SWAG合集 Theatre Department鈥檚 Original Playwright Contest will take the stage in a one-night performance at 7:30 p.m. April 27. Admission is free. This is the first year SWAG合集 Theatre Department has presented this series.
The four selected plays taking the stage are 鈥淚n My Time of Need鈥 by freshman Jose Flores, 鈥淐heck-mate鈥 by co-authors Lee Miller, Director of Fort Leavenworth Learning Services, and Crystal Buck, Fort Leavenworth Adjunct Professor, 鈥淲hy Love is so Hard to Find鈥 by sophomore Kara Grosfield and 鈥淐offee Can鈥 by John O鈥機onnor.
鈥淚n My Time of Need鈥 by Jose Flores
鈥淚n My Time of Need鈥 is about a young man in financial troubles who robs a rich family鈥檚 home and finds love and understanding from the family, values he didn鈥檛 expect.
Flores has been an active part of the theatre department, having starred in 鈥淥ur Town鈥, served as the technical director for the student production and now as the author and director of 鈥淚n My Time of Need鈥. The diversity of his involvement is by design.
鈥淚 am trying my best to try all aspects of theatre so I can become more well-rounded and useful,鈥 he said.
Flores feels prepared and has learned from his past mistakes having experience directing in high school.
鈥淚f I would have had more experience when I first directed, I would have been more relaxed and not as tight with my cast,鈥 he said.
鈥淐heck-mate鈥 by Lee Miller and Crystal Buck
鈥淐heck-mate鈥 features two competitors who learn to respect and maybe even love each other through their mutual love of chess.
Miller was a literature instructor at the Fort Leavenworth campus before taking a director position. Buck also has a love for theatre and has both been on stage and directed shows. She is working on two doctoral degrees: a PHD in Musicology and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Opera.
鈥淚 love theatre and have always wanted to see something I wrote actually performed; that would just be amazing,鈥 Miller said. 鈥淲hen this came up I knew I had to jump at it.鈥
Miller and Buck decided to use their talents together in hopes of bringing this story to the stage. While Miller generated the concept and wrote the story, Buck formalized the story into a theatre format and assisted in creative additions and problem solving.
Miller wanted something that would work with the one-act format but also provide depth in the content while trying to avoid any idea that was too trite. Buck said they worked a lot to not take the easy path of being just another dull love story.
鈥淥ne word you can associate with this play is timelessness,鈥 she said. 鈥淭his game, of love, of finding yourself, is something that has happened and will happen through the ages. It may take on different forms and disguises but in the end, it is the same thing.鈥
鈥淲hy Love is so Hard to Find鈥 by Kara Grosfield
鈥淲hy Love is so Hard to Find鈥 is a comedy about two individuals looking for love, but can鈥檛 seem to find it even when it is right in front of them.
鈥淚f I were to use a phrase to describe my show it would be that 鈥榣ove is blind鈥,鈥 Grosfield said. 鈥淚 want the audience to leave in a good mood since it is a comedy, but in the back of their mind I want them to wonder if that is what they are doing.鈥
When Grosfield was walking around campus on her first day at SWAG合集 she noticed a sign about the Theatre Department and thought that was an extracurricular activity she might enjoy and has been involved with theatre ever since.
鈥淲hen I saw they were having this playwright series I thought I would try but never imagined they would select my play,鈥 she said.
Grosfield not only wrote 鈥淲hy Love is so Hard to Find鈥 but will be directing and performing in the play as well.
鈥淚t took a lot of work to get where I am, but I am just really glad that I got to do it with such good people.鈥
Grosfield hopes to go into psychology with a minor in art so she can pursue art or theatre therapy. Grosfield commented how the idea of theatre therapy wouldn鈥檛 have crossed her mind if she had not become involved with the SWAG合集 Theatre Department.
鈥淐offee Can鈥 by John O鈥機onnor
鈥淐offee Can鈥 is about a variety of people contacting a radio show called 鈥淏uy, Sell and Trade鈥. Relationships soon begin to develop between call-ins and the radio host.