Witness's showcase is philosophical and clever

By: Paul Hsiao

Posted: 12/4/08

The Witness Theater troupe certainly fits the stereotype that college theater groups are a little strange. Common sights at their rehearsals include shirts with the word "SPERM," giant rocks and slinky lingerie.

Witness Theater, an amalgamation of various actors and actresses from groups like Throat Culture and Buttered Niblets, provides student-directed, student-written and student-acted sketches. Many of the actors and writers overlap between the plays, creating a camaraderie among the various people involved. Witness Theater exists to encourage creativity among the dramatically curious at Hopkins, and they do succeed at this task.

Their second fall showcase, for better or worse, is a production without limits. It consists of five one-act plays that entertain, delight and at times demand the complete attention of the audience to fully comprehend. While maybe not a tour de force, the Witness Theater's second fall showcase is worth the price of admission, even if only to see the sheer creative prowess of fellow students at Hopkins.

The first sketch "In Bathwater or Utero" shows two individual sperm "running" and searching for an ovum. The play, written by junior Eric Levitz, subtly poses the big question of life for these individual sperm by posing the question, "What's the point of a life of searching for something that may not even exist?"

Although freshman Danny Kaplan and senior Mike Wills deserve praise for their portrayals of Sperm A and Sperm B, the sketch still feels too long despite its short duration. This partly had to do with the script which recycles the same lines and has too many pauses between the dialogue. However, the chemistry between the two lead actors and the unique narrative of the existential sperm holds the audience attention and does a great job warming up the crowd for the rest of the night.

"Nebraskan Fever," written by senior Audrey Murray, is perhaps the most traditional of sketches in the showcase. The plot revolves around two women, high school friends, who are catching up on life in a café and wondering about infinite hypothetical situations.

It relies heavily on dialogue; there is very little movement, and the two leads played by Adi Elbaz and Rebecca McGivney are on stage by themselves almost the entire time. The only exceptions are the sparse interjections by the reliably comedic sophomore, Mac Schwerin, who plays an aloof waiter.

At times, the script feels melodramatic but Elbaz and McGivney do their best to convey the motivations of the characters. The sketch, directed by senior Kelly Chuang, features virtually no blocking, costume changes and usable props. This creates a somewhat bland environment for the set.

However, the slow burn does give an unshakable tension which erupts at the very end with a surprising twist. Though unpolished and with a (perhaps intentional) monotonous air, "Nebraskan Fever" succeeds because of this tension and release.

"Sisyphus" breaks the two-actor mold and is essentially a ten-minute monologue from the titular role (senior Kyle Dugan). Sisyphus, according to ancient Greek mythology, is eternally condemned to push a rock up a mountain only to have it roll back down again.

The sketch portrays the myth by focusing on the day-to-day malaise that Sisyphus suffers. Much praise has to be given to Dugan who does a comedic portrayal of the hard-working but vapid man.

The sketch is simply a monologue that communicates the hardships and everyday actions of Sisyphus to the audience. The directors, junior Kempton Baldridge and sophomore Mike Alfieri, choose a strategically simple profile for the sketch and place tremendous faith in Dugan to deliver. Dugan does deliver and in doing so, gives the most sympathetic performance of the night.

"Bathroom Academia," written and directed by sophomore Jeremy Bremer, is the most complex of the sketches. It has eight different characters and many different plot layers with only one thing in common: the bathroom.

In one setting, freshman Keelin Martinek and sophomore Laren Silvey play two inanimate objects, eyeliner and mascara. In another, Levitz and junior Kathleen Hancock play a dysfunctional young couple dwelling upon the philosophical abstractions of life. Finally, sophomores Laren Silvey and Katie Barros play girls dreaming of the aforementioned scenarios. Although it lives up to its name, "Bathroom Academia" does feel a bit too clever for its own good.

The many layers of plot are a bit too perplexing and the dialogue takes several seconds for anyone to fully digest. Several aspects of the plot are explained, but in the end, one can't help but feel a little unsatisfied with the conclusion of the play.

The acting, blocking and stage direction are superior, but do not help the general coherence of the narrative. Perhaps if the sketch was lengthened or if the cast was minimized, the play would make more sense and have a more satisfying ending.

The final sketch, "In Motel Uterus," written by Hancock, shows a sperm and an ovum in a motel as they begin an awkward attempt at reproduction. The plot could be the sequel to the very first sketch. Freshman Emily Sucher (the ovum) and Baldridge (the sperm) successfully delivered comedy in a script lacking in substantive dialogue.

The stage presences of Sucher and Baldrige were charming, and the chemistry between the two helped to bring harmony the intentionally awkward relationship. Alfieri and junior Lisa Rosinksy, the directors, play it safe with a comedic crowd pleaser but the final sketch is a tight conclusion for the evening nonetheless.

The Witness Theater Second Fall Showcase is a truly creative and theatrical experience. The show highlights the very best and original productions of Hopkins students.

The five sketches have a common theme of philosophical abstraction and certainly push the audience to think outside the box. Despite several shortcomings, the showcase is ultimately worth seeing and one can only imagine where Witness Theater will take us next.