READING BETWEEN THE LINES

READING BETWEEN THE LINES  A Collection of Student Written Comedy Scenes

Delmonte Bernstien Studio Theatre

Friday 9 Noverber 2018

Directed by Peter Vasone

Produced by ECSU Drama Society

The, READING BETWEEN THE LINES  collection of student written comedy scenes, directed and produced by Peter Vasone, and presented by the Eastern Drama Society was a terrific experience. The scripts were well chosen and well directed.

It is not easy decide the right amount of production value to put into a staged reading but this presentation fit the bill. The rhythmic walk at the entrance of the actors, and the fact that we heard footsteps before we saw any of the personnel, got the evening off to a good start..

 The actors were introduced by the director as they marched on  stage to take their seats. 

Non –traditional casting added a lot to the evening and made us think about whether someone referred to as “he” must be played by a male and how we should approach new ways casting a script. 

The “Special Mentions” in the program of 2 of the playwrights whose work was not able to be included was a testament to the director’s professionalism and his development of a theater community at Eastern. Artists need encouragement.

There were 10 plays and 8 playwrights.  Six of the ten plays, and four of the eight playwrights come from the Scriptwriting class. This is an example of students and faculty working across different disciplines and classes to find ways to collaborate.

Two Gay Dads And A Baby Kangarooby Chris Burkle was based on reversal of what we consider to be a commonly occurring situation. It was both funny and insightful. It was especially telling that, even though the parents were upset and flabbergasted by the young man’s confession of his desires, his younger brother “always knew” that he was straight.  The casting women in a script were almost character was gay male was a good touch.

The 2 Mason Beiter scripts were both started in Scriptwriting  class this semester (F’18). In, My A-Hole Step-Brother, one character often picks up the last words of another ‘s previous speech and uses those words to begin his new thought. It would be a great accomplishment if this short script were brought to the next level and made into a longer piece.

The work in several disciplines (music, dance, and theatre) at the new Fine Arts Instructional Center at Eastern Connecticut State University leads us to believe that the building will become an significant showcase for important artistic accomplishment in the years ahead.