F E ATU RE S
February 8, 2013
THE TRIAL
January hard work pays off with production of ‘The Trial’
Continued from Page I
three weeks; however, students involved
in the production of "The Trial" had an
extra week of work before premiering their
show.
The students who took this 1-credit
practicum worked backstage and acted or
stage-managed.
"It's my job to record all the blocking
for the shows," said senior Renee Spence,
the production's stage manager. "Where
everybody goes, what everybody's doing,
where all the props are."
Meanwhile, the cast worked on both
acting and completing the technical work
that went on backstage.
"For this production, the actors served as
major contributors to the play's technical
work," said Williams. "They worked
extremely hard and were probably feeling
a bit tired, but they were clearly having a
lot of fun together."
Senior Steven Masschelin, who headed
up lights, paint, audio and props, was in
charge of assigning the students to needed
work.
"The difficult part was that I did not
have a very consistent workforce," said
Masschelin. "People would be coming and
going to and from rehearsal, sometimes
staying as little as 45 minutes."
Masschelin also faced challenges with
the inexperience of the workers, many of
who were new to the theatre and backstage
work.
"While anybody can paint a floorboard,
it takes a certain kind of person to stand on
a rickety ladder and hang a 25-plus-pound
instrument," said Masschelin.
Each member of the show was required
to spend allotted time either in rehearsals
or doing other work necessary for the
production, like box office, costumes or
putting together the set.
"The actors were also doing tech work
when they weren't called for rehearsal
time," said Spence. "I think everyone (in
the production) put in an equal amount of
work."
Most of the students were in rehearsal
from 10 a.m. to 5, 6 or 6:30 p.m. Including a
lunch break, that was at least seven hours
a day — not counting time spent working
individually.
"The production schedule is more like
what you'd find in a professional theatre,"
said Williams. "Normally, our students
have to find a way to attend rehearsal and
meet production deadlines while juggling
their normal academic coursework. ... It's
been great to see how many students really
thrived in this intensely concentrated
environment."
"I didn't know what to expect from this
project, but the end result was everything
we could have hoped for," said junior
Connor Bayne. "One problem with the
schedule, though, was that there was little
time available for publicity, so we didn't
sell as well as we hoped."
Though opening a show in the beginning
of the semester presented unique
challenges, those who saw the show found
it intriguing.
"I'm still confused, but it's an intriguing
story," said Spence. "I enjoyed going to see
it every night."
"Kafka creates a bizarre, fantastical
world in which examining these issues
and creating that world has been my focus
for this production," said Williams. "'The
Trial' is probably the reason why Kafka
earned his own adjective, ' I wanted to
find out what a theatrical version (of)
'Kafkaesque' might feel like."
Williams explored that theme with
a minimalist set where the actors often
doubled as props. Throughout the show,
the actors seemed to be caught in — or
■ %
The good, tho bad and tho ugly: what happonod ovor J-TormP
BY BRITTANY MURDOCK
Staff Wnnm
As I wait in line at the Grill to place my order, I am
bombarded with familiar faces and quickly find myself
invested in several conversations all starting off with the
same question, "How was your break?"
Whether you spent J-Term studying abroad, relaxing on
the couch at home, playing a sport, or taking a course here on
campus, memories were made and shared.
Director of the Friends Center Max Carter spent his
J-Term in Palestine and Israel. The trip consisted of visiting
holy sites, volunteering and facing a five-day snowstorm in
Jerusalem.
"The trip was incredible," said Carter. "I had high hopes
for it, and it exceeded my expectations.
"When plans didn t go the way we had anticipated, the
backup plans were just as good."
Guilfprd's pilot J-Term was a success in terms of
enrollment (176 students), content (62 different experiences)
and faculty/staff involvement (39). The many different
experiences offered for J-Term included independent studies,
internships and study abroad programs.
"I did J-Term because it gave me an opportunity: to travel.
I went to Cuba where I took classes on peace and conflict
and did charity work in various homes and churches," said
sophomore James O'Neil. "I will definitely attend next year."
"Woodworking with Jim Hood was awesome, and I
would definitely do it again," said senior Taylor Teodosio.
"ITs a great way to get an extra four credits without it being
too long."
As successful as many people thought J-Term was, there
were several people that weren't big fans. Several complaints
consisted of bad weather, limited food and the feeling of
loneliness on campus.
"I was pissed at the fact that this year there weren't any
classes that went towards a general education requirement,"
said sophomore Skylor Bee-Latty. "I understand that this
was their first year testing things out for J-Term, but I didn't
like how limited we were to grill food."
Sophomore Richard Adamson spent J-Term volunteering
through Guilford at the Interactive Resource Center, a day
center for homeless individuals.
Even though he had a great time sharing stories and eating
dinner with his group and people from the day center, there
were sever^ things Adamson didn't like about the program.
"The Guilford program was disorganized," said Adamson.
"If it wasn't for the students in the group taking initiative, I
(Above) Joseph K., portrayed by first-year
Henry Coates, struggles during his quest
for acquittal. (Left) The cast rides a train which
represents Joseph’s journey.The play ran for one
weekend, Jan. 31-Feb. 2.
even become — machines.
Even though J-Term and "The Trial"
are completed, we can still look forward
to the Theatre Studies department's next
production, "Spring Awakening."
don't think half the things we did would have happened. I
would like to do it next year, but I think I would do it on my
own and not through the Guilford program."
To offer the many different J-Term experiences, a lot of
preparation and hard work went into making this pilot term
a success. It forced several changes to course schedules,
graduation dates and the academic calendar. An important
thing that faculty and staff kept in mind was the safety of
students.
"There was a safety issue that we were cautious about
because it is scary to be in your dorm alone," said Dean
of Students Aaron Fetrow. "We did keep in mind students
feeling isolated or lonely."
Plarmmg has already started for next January and the
goals have been set high.
"Our priorities include reducing the cost for students,
improving and further supporting faculty during the
proposal process, offering additional on-campus seminars
and courses, and streamlining the registration process," said
Assistant to the President for Planning and Management Jeff
Favolise in an email interview.
Students are optimistic that the administration and faculty
will indeed work to make J-Term an even more rewarding
experience in the future.