The Vogt C Studio Series, advertised as “Four One Act Plays” is much better than one would expect from a typical student-run play. Although each performance was short in length, the actors and directors created lasting impressions with a carefully-crafted and professionally run show.
The series begins with Eat Me, written and directed by Celine Song. The piece is a dialogue between a man, Ludwig, and a lion. Ludwig is dared to put his head in the lion’s mouth and the two argue over whether or not Ludwig can trust the lion not to kill him if he does put his head in its mouth, exploring thematic concerns of trust and risk.
The interaction between the lion, played by Rich Hogan, and Ludwig, played by Scott Murray, is a bit of a slow start to the series, but, the two actors’ chemistry shone through.
In essence, the play is about taking risks—the presence of the lion enforces this point so much so that he breaks the fourth wall to interact with the audience.
The play gained momentum with the second play, Tattoo. Written by Jane Martin and directed by Hallae Khosravi, the play represents a highly probable and extremely believable situation between a playboy named William, played by Aiden Payne, and his three scorned girlfriends, played by Christianne Cruz, Stephanie Davis and Rebecca Flynn. The scene begins with three different women, all dating the smooth operator. They have uncovered his secret that he’s dating all three of them, and are now scheming to get back at him for lying to them.
When William arrives on stage, the women proceed to sit him down and confront him about his transgressions. They make great use of a rolling chair to spin William around between them in a way that’s comical, but also makes sense in the given situation.
Payne does a wonderful job portraying the three-timing jerk. He creates a slick character that, even in the face of three fuming women, has a flirtatious demeanor and a cocky attitude. Payne’s flirting demeanor was out in full force—I almost felt like the fourth woman this man was toying with.
Next in the series was Savage Logic, directed by Brittany Ross-Fichtner and Alexa Hubley. This story, although amazingly performed, may leave the audience a little puzzled. The audience is presented with a family. With unnamed characters they are given the generic titles of matriarch, patriarch, beau and belle. The scene is dinner-tables conversations between parents and their two children, with interjections of a variety of Lady Gaga songs. Each song changes the entire dynamic on stage.
The four actresses in this play did a phenomenal job of creating over-the-top, wild characters. The simple costumes and set only enhance the play. They created a very generalized feel for the play, as though this could be any nuclear family.
It portrayed the “perfect family”, with a mother, a father, and two children, who, from the outside, appear to be ideal. However, throughout the course of the play, the image of the perfect family is stripped away to reveal their not-so-perfect insides.
This play demonstrates the mask people try to create to hide imperfections from society.
The final play in the Vogt C series is called Messirs Robert. Written by Mackenzie Tummers and directed by Shruti Kothari, it portrays a living room setting and four facets of one man trying to decide which part of himself to expel.
The four Roberts are played by Sam Edwards, Justin Scaini, Diana Kendall and Ted Maloney. The actors portray four parts of a man: his calm, angry, cowardly and drunken states.
Robert 1, played by Edwards, was by far the best actor in this scene. His character was the most consistent throughout the play. I found my attention was most often drawn to him.
The one female character in this play, Smith played by Charlotte Miglin, was somewhat lacking in enthusiasm and energy. She looked the part, but her character was barely believable as a woman from the early half of the 20th century. In order to sell her character, Miglin could have been more committed to the role and more deliberate with her words, so it didn’t sound like she was speaking in our modern vernacular.
Overall, Vogt C is an entertaining and engaging show. Once again, the Vogt Studio Series doesn’t disappoint.Don’t miss this chance to get out there and see what student-produced work can really be.
Vogt C runs tonight and tomorrow in Theological Hall with two shows each night at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tickets are $4.
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