From her seat downstage, Emilie Rothanzl watched as the cast of “Red Rose” rehearsed a scene Monday afternoon.
“It's very interesting because rather than thinking about what my character is going through, I have to think about what every character I'm directing is going through and how those actors feel their characters are going through and kind of compromising on their actions and how they portray a line,” said the first-time director.
Rothanzl is one of nine student directors guiding six one-act plays that will make up “An Evening of Fairy Tales” on Feb. 18 and 19 at Blair High School. Attendance will be limited. However, BHS Drama Director Victoria McNamara is hoping at least one night of the performances can be livestreamed.
The six one-act plays to be performed include:
• “Red Rose,” directed by Rothanzl.
• “Scratch That Story,” directed by Morgan Thompson and Kendra Loseke.
• “The Norse Mythology Ragnasplosion,” directed by Nathan Hiykel and Chase Jensen.
• “Charming Princes,” directed by Evelyn Rothanzl.
• “Law and Order: Fairy Tale Unit,” directed by Noah Ferguson and Jenna Jennings.
• “The Fairy Godfather,” directed by Carter Lau.
BHS Drama Director Victoria McNamara said the one-act plays give the students a different perspective from their typical role as an actor.
“It's really eyeopening for them,” she said.
It can also help them improve their skills as an actor.
“It makes them better actors because then when I ask them on stage 'Make a choice. Do something,' they're more likely to go and do something because they're used to making other people do it,” she said. “It's a really good experience.”
The students said their acting has also helped them develop as directors.
“Through acting in those shows, you develop your own opinions on certain things that get blocked and certain things that get put into place. Whether or not you agree with them, you get kind of a perspective on how you would do things differently,” said Jensen, another first-time director.
“Your style kind of drives from your experience in acting. You can see your acting in your directing,” Hiykel added.
The student directors have also faced challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic as actors have to wear masks and some have been quarantined.
“We wanted a small cast due to the fact we didn't know what numbers were going to look like,” Thompson said. “The more people that there are, the more opportunities there are for people to get quarantined.”
Evelyn Rothanzl agreed.
“I just liked having a smaller cast, which meant I could work more directly with my actors,” she said. “It also was very minimalistic with the technical side. I'm not very heavy handed, I'd rather keep it as simple as possible.
Performing through a mask can be a difficult task. Emilie Rothanzl watched tutorials to help her guide her actors to emote more.
“You have to learn how to say things passionately with only your eyes,” she said. “It's really interesting because furrowing your brows could be angry or raising them up could be surprised or happy or sad or shocked, a whole bunch of different things.”
