by: Bryson Carter

Winter Shorts, a series of student-directed productions, was hosted by the GC theatre department from February 20 to 21.

“The BFA directing majors direct short pieces as a required project as part of their degree,” David Sebren, head of the directing program at GC, explained when asked about the purpose of these shows. “Directors that have completed Directing I direct a 10-minute scene, directors who have completed Directing II direct a 30-minute scene and directors that have completed Directing III direct a 75-minute scene.”

Freshman Aster Adams, director of the 10-minute long “Sure Thing,” feels the production came along very well. “The show has been a really collaborative experience,” she says, “I am really happy with that.” The show was about Billy and Betty, two people who are on some kind of date-like experience when a bell starts to change their plans. Adams said the biggest challenge with directing the show was the short amount of time they had to put it together. “We jumped from Black Comedy to this really fast,” she elaborated, “It was a really quick turnaround for the show being put up.”

Sophomore Rylun Godfrey says directing his show, “A Midnight Clear,” came with some different challenges. His show depicts two ex-lovers, Luke and Paul, who find themselves meeting again after a terrible incident puts one of them in the hospital. “Working on any show with a heavy subject matter such as this will be mentally taxing in a way,” he described, “but it is a great challenge.” Despite this hurdle, he still greatly enjoyed watching the show come together. “I really enjoy my time with my actors and creating transformative and impactful art.”

The director of “Trust Fall,” freshman Adriel Halavach had a special experience as this show served as their directorial debut. “This is the first time I have ever had the opportunity to direct anything,” he explained, “so this has been a great experience.” The hardest part for him was actually choosing what piece to work on. “I switched my major to directing at the last minute and only had a week to pick my show, which was difficult,” he explained. In this story, two women explore a cave that contains many secrets after the death of one of the women’s sisters.

Junior Izzy Surles served as the only Directing II student with a 30-minute piece. “Sham!” depicts a married couple who is robbed by a quite comedic thief. She likes being able to still work with her fellow students, but with a different dynamic. “It’s enjoyable as a student to work with my peers,” she attested, “and the people that I act with to bring my ideas to life on stage.” However, her favorite part was also one of her biggest challenges. “Finding the balance between being my actors’ peer and their friend,” she said, “and also being their director and their stage manager.”

This kind of production process was not only different for the directors, but also for the performers. Sophomore Briana Bostic starred as Betty in Adams’ show and enjoyed every minute of it. “It’s a really fun show to work on,” she proclaimed. “I have a great scene partner and a great director, and we have a lot of fun in rehearsals.”

“This entire process has been so exciting,” added sophomore John Dibbins from Godfrey’s production. “We really got into it working all of the intricate details and the actual process itself was wonderful.”

While it was exhilarating for the actors to work with some of their closest friends, it also was very different. Junior Jalen Troublefield, who performs in Surles’ show, describes the adjustment. “It is a night and day difference,” Troublefield describes. “We have a student that is learning the ropes and trying to do what is best and then you have the adult professors who have been doing this for years. But, it is cool to see people who want to do this in their younger years and being able to see the beginnings of future directors.”

“It is a more intimate experience and you feel more of a connection to the person you are working with because they are the same age as you and going through the same things as you,” added sophomore Azariah Surratt, one of Halavach’s actors.

Even Sebren has parts of the project that he likes best. “My favorite part is watching student directors learn to collaborate with their peers and begin the process of becoming a director,” he said. He enjoys being able to teach and guide his students down the right path but also working with them to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as it possibly can. Clearly, it paid off – audiences loved the performances and directors as well as actors were equally proud of the art that was created that weekend.