Each year, Uni’s theater department puts on its student-run production, known as StudProd. The annual production contains multiple shows, which are all written, directed, acted, and presented by Uni students.
This year, there were six student-organized shows in the production: Peanut Tragedy by Sanduru Devmal and Ruby Mitchell; Keeping Up with The Senior Citizens by Noor Elbana and Ceyda Urcan; Client Confidentiality by Evan Wang; The Adventures of Zan X by Storm Benjamin, Cruise News by Claire Keenan; and Thanksgiving by Nathaniel Wiesbrook.
Below, StudProd actors reflect on their shows and how the production went.
Peanut Tragedy by Sandaru Devmal and Ruby Mitchell
The first show in StudProd was Peanut Tragedy by sophomores Sandaru Devmal and Ruby Mitchell.
Freshman Sophia L., pictured, says, “The play’s about two people … who are forbidden lovers because of their peanut allergies.” Sophia plays Hazel, one of the love interests in Peanut Tragedy along with Lucas T. Sophia described the show as being fun — “chaotic, but fun.”
Keeping Up With the Senior Citizens by Noor Elbana and Ceyda Urcan
Keeping Up With the Senior Citizens by juniors Noor Elbana and Ceyda Urcan featured junior Khuyen N. and sophomore Kaylee Z in lead roles. Khuyen described the show as being about “an elderly lady named Margaret and her one-sided beef with this other lady named Betty.”
Khuyen played Margaret in the play. This was her first year playing a major role in StudProd, and Khuyen did her own makeup. “You really need to emphasize [the makeup]. In the lights, it does get rid of a lot of the details,” she says.
Besides featuring Margaret and Betty, Keeping Up With the Senior Citizens also presented sophomore Violet M. as the play’s narrator.
“[Rehearsals] were pretty chill,” Violet says. The play featured Violet describing the play’s events and keeping the audience up-to-date with a touch of humor. “I always do acting for StudProd [instead of tech] because I don’t have to sing,” she adds.
Client Confidentiality by Evan Wang
Client Confidentiality by senior Evan Wang was a multi-faceted pseudo-mystery centering around a bag of Takis.
For her third year acting in StudProd, Sophomore Lana C. takes on the role of an inquisitive journalist in the play.
“I’ve been doing it since subbie year,” she says. Lana explains she likes how close StudProd’s cast gets over the weeks rehearsal takes place since “you really don’t have all that long to work on [the show].”
The Adventures of Zan X by Storm Benjamin
The Adventures of Zan X by senior Storm Benjamin featured subbie Alina S. as one of the main characters. Along with acting in Apollo and the Trials of Hercules, this is her second show here at Uni. She recommends it to others.
“It’s low-commitment and it’s fun,” she says, mentioning the StudProd rehearsals four to six times a week that start about two weeks before opening night.
She also adds that she gained experience from acting in the show. “If you’re a theater kid, just do [the show],” Alina says. “You will get advice, you will get tips on how to be a better actor from your directors and your peers.”
Cruise News by Claire Keenan
Cruise News by senior Claire Keenan follows the tale of two aspiring newscasters who upload videos on YouTube of their cruise ship news show in hopes of going viral. Sophomore Chloe R-M was one of the StudProd actors featured as an anchor on Keenan’s show.
“It’s one of the most fun shows at Uni in my opinion, and there’s a lot of opportunities for students to participate,” says Chloe. This is her third time acting in the show and she thinks it’s one of the best ways to get involved in Uni theater.
Thanksgiving by Nathaniel Wiesbrook
Thanksgiving by senior Nathaniel Wiesbrook featured Harmony L. as a grandma expecting a full house for the Thanksgiving dinner she’s hosting this year, but receiving her family at her place without her daughter-in-law. Harmony describes her character’s emotions upon learning this as “ … angry. Upset. [She] was stressed. … Overwhelmed.”
As a freshman, this is Harmony’s second time acting in StudProd and she likes how low-commitment and short the show is. “There’s also a lot of people, so that’s fun. You get to meet more people.”
Out of 10, she rates the experience a 9.
