Witness Showcase: Four Playwrights tell all

Witness Theater Collective brought four student playwright works to the stage on Friday, November 16 and Saturday, November 17 for the group’s Thanksgiving Showcase. As the only completely student-run theater group on campus, Witness is known for producing student-written works several times throughout the school year. The News-Letter sat down with freshman Sarah White and sophomore Ellen Bruner, two such playwrights, to learn about their writing process, their productions and what is coming up next for Witness Theater.

The News-Letter: Please briefly describe your play for our readers.

Sarah White (SW): “The Playpen” is about Jeff and Mindy, two adult co-workers at a mundane office job, that bicker when Jeff begins “picking on” Mindy. As the juvenile tension escalates and finally screeches to a halt with the discovery of a Valentine, Jeff and Mindy find their way into the adult world of love.

Ellen Bruner (EB): “A Professor of Symbolism Eats Cake” is a wordless play centering on the return home of a professor who just wants to eat cake, but a number of obstacles prevent him from doing so. His girlfriend breaks up with him by a letter, he cuts his finger while trying to slice the cake, only for the doorbell to ring and a unwieldy package to arrive for which he must sign. In Act II, however, he makes a beeline for the cake, sits down and takes a bite, unimpeded. Easy peasy.

NL: What inspires you?

SW: Let’s be honest: one of the main draws of the college experience is forming new relationships, both platonic and romantic. However, the romantic ones are often far more interesting. In my first few months of college, I have watched the male/female interactions across campus, trying to figure out the differences between high school and college relationships. What it came down to was that some things never change. There will always be those certain childlike fundamentals of romance that — lucky for me — consistently provide humor.

EB: I write about things that I cannot get out of my thoughts. For “A Professor of Symbolism Eats Cake,” it was elbow pads on tweed jackets and the prospect of feeding a hungry actor.

NL: Did you choose to have any say in casting/directing?

SW: I actually opted out of the production process. I have always either acted or directed, but I wanted to experiment with a totally hands-off experience. I found that I missed the feeling of working with actors and being in the theater for that process. However I was truly impressed by the natural yet intricate staging that director Matt Pulaski was able to achieve in this production.

EB: The success of this play is due to the talents and floral-arranging capacities of noted actor Benjamin H. Zucker and daring directors Marc Reisner and Oliver Roth. It was entirely their labor that motivated the character in a compelling way onstage without the structure of dialogue. It was my wish to display the directing and acting without letting my own language intrude.

NL: Are you currently writing anything? What would your advice be to a student that wants to write a play?

SW: I am not currently writing anything, though I hope to work with some friends on a couple of new projects, hopefully soon to come. Though I love working on my own and being in my own head, sometimes the best ideas come with the humor and creativity of another person.

EB: As I said, write what you cannot get out of your thoughts. And submit it to Witness or bring it to a Witness workshop!