Since the performances were mostly just the students reciting the play with minimal movement (there were some exceptions), the acting was the thing that stood out the most. I thought the actress that stood out the most was Sarah Senff, who knocked out both plays she appeared in, "Lament" and "My Left Breast." I was completely convinced that Senff had experienced what happened in "Lament" until I realized it was a performance. That's how good of a performance it was. She was similarly great in "My Left Breast." Melissa Jackson Burns was hilarious in "Back Bird" to the point where I found every moment of it funny. Lastly, Lawrence Chiteri & Jeremiah Chiteri made it easy to see why they were the finale. They engaged the audience and were constantly entertaining.
The set design was minimal due to the space, but each time it changed, you took notice. In "Back Bird," this was most evident. They used a guitar, which provided two songs. I found both songs hilarious. They also used tookies, I mean, cookies and a piece of clothing that she used to put over her back and "fly around." In "The Raven," they provided just a book and two blocks. This worked better than the other plays because it shows the character in isolation, a theme of the poem.
The costume design was impressive in "Tug of War" as they wore convincing African attire. They even addressed this in the play as he said he needed to tell the story in African attire. That was the most notable and obvious costume design. Not to say the others didn't have a purpose, they were just less notable.
Part 2
Students performed adaptations of literature September 12-16 at the Corner Playhouse presented by MU Theatre. The Life & Literature Performance Series featured seven live performances and an excerpt from an artistic film. Working with a mostly empty stage, the plays depended on the performances of the students, which were almost uniformly excellent.
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