STEPHEN SACCO
Special to The Leader
May is near and that means senior capstones are here.
The BA theatre capstones are some of the most diverse capstones. Their projects will be presented this Saturday, April 14, at Bartlett Theatre from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
This event is very significant to these seniors since they will be leaving us in May. Not only did they put their hearts into these projects, but also their blood, sweat and tears.
Hannah Wagner, a senior dual major in theatre and public relations, with a minor in dance, will focus on her art of dance. Her piece is titled “Balance” and features Rasaboxes, which is an Indian dancing technique. Nine boxes resemble nine emotions, and there is a center box which is extremely important in bringing of all the emotions together as one.
Wagner vividly recalls what specifically intrigued her about dance.
She said, “I went home one day in the middle of the school year and I was like, ‘Mom, I [want to] dance.’ And she was like, ‘Really? . . .’ So we found a studio that my best friend went to, and they had a girl in the room showing different styles of dancing. She put on a pair of tap shoes and started tapping. I was like, ‘That one. That one right there. That’s the one I want to do.’”
Wagner laughed recalling the memory.
Wagner will showcase “Balance” at 2 p.m. in Bartlett, on Saturday.
Madison Breslin, a senior theatre arts major, and De’sean Cruz, a dual major in theatre arts and media management, collaborated together on their piece.
What is significant about all of these productions by the BA theatre majors is that they will all be displaying physical theatre with little to no dialogue.
Concerning what arching themes are in Breslin and Cruz’s piece, Breslin said, “The theme of the show is the eternal world affecting your inner world . . . there is a part where you will see us being tainted by the outside world.”
Cruz explained further. “The way the production symbolizes the lifespan of a human and how it plays into that reincarnation cycle . . . where the constant struggle to fight each other or love each other, those dichotomies, it’s always repeating,” he said.
Cruz commented on the goal of the production. “We’re not performing,” he said. “There’s an audience, yes, and witnesses watching the show, but we’re not performing. This is us telling our stories to each other and the audience has that eternal ‘looking in.’”
If you want a look into these stories, they will be told from 3:20 p.m. to 3:50 p.m. in Bartlett.
Lastly, the closing show will be conducted by Nicolas Williams, a senior double major in theatre arts and music.
Williams’ piece “Kinesthetic Response” will be from 4:20 p.m. to 5:20 p.m.
“Kinesthetic Response” is music and dance based on improv performance.
Williams defined improv as, “. . . an instantaneous experience of the creative process.”
“Figuring things out in the moment instead of trying to find a perfect product,” he further explained.
Concerning Williams’ process in approaching his capstone, he said, “letting my instincts guide my thought and letting go of any preconceived notions of what I want it to be.”