The Right Direction

GAMBIER, Ohio (January 19, 2012)

Kenyon student directors are setting the stage for careers behind the scenes.

The Department of Dance, Drama, and Film presents Collected Stories and The Baltimore Waltz, with two performances each on alternating days starting on Thursday, January 26. Alyssa White '12 of Carmel Valley, California, directs Collected Stories, and Sophie Blumberg of New York City directs The Baltimore Waltz. Both directors are seniors intent on pursuing the theater as a career.

Collected Stories by Donald Margulies, which premiered in 1996, is a two-character play that focuses on the complicated relationship between teacher and protégé and the life of a writer. The play will be performed on January 26 and January 28 at 8:00 p.m. in the Hill Theater. The cast includes seniors Caroline Lindy of New York City and Rachel Sachnoff of Lake Bluff, Illinois.

"It's a very natural play, very realistic," White said. "It's about a writing professor and a student, but it very easily could be about any of the arts. It's not always pleasant." A drama major, White is looking for directing fellowships and apprenticeships. "This is a career choice," she said. "I give the actors a lot of room. For an actor to take control of their own character is the best way for me to direct. I try to give guidance and let the actors find their own voices in the characters."

The Baltimore Waltz by Paula Vogel premiered in 1990 and is a dark comedy about the European travels of a pleasure-seeking brother and sister, one with a fatal disease. The play will be performed on January 27 and January 29 at 8:00 p.m. in the Hill Theater. The cast includes Aeneas Hemphill '12 of Vienna, Virginia; Robyn Stype '12 of Columbus, Ohio; and Tim Jurney '15 of Apple Valley, Minnesota.

"It's an incredibly powerful play," Blumberg said. "It's very much about the AIDS crisis. It's an intensely funny satire, and it's moving. You're laughing, and then you're crying at the end." Blumberg will do "whatever it takes" to achieve her goal of a career as a director. "I really love highlighting the natural talents of the actors," she said. "I try to tailor the approach to each actor. You know you're in the room to work, and any tension is not personal. The tension comes from the play.

"I'm really excited with what we've done, and I'm excited to get it on its feet."