On January 25 and 26, Student Directed Scenes (SDS), an annual stage production created by students in Directing, was put on in Gelb Theater. Those involved in the show recently reflected on the performance.
Ethan Luk ’20, director of a scene from Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice, is very proud of how his scene went. “My goal for the show was to create a magical, sensory, and immersive experience that dealt with challenging topics, like death, in a beautiful, poetic light. I am so proud of the dedication of my actors, who used their all to create the world of the play.”
Likewise, Derek Ng ’20, an actor in Wilson Wang ’19’s scene from Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, felt proud of the six shows’ results. “Each performance was really different, and I think that’s part of the reason why SDS was so brilliant — the diversity of shows. It’s definitely a rollercoaster of emotions, and I’m glad that we shared our stories to the audience. Shout out to the directors — they’re all masters at their craft.”
Ng played the part of Lucky. “I walked onstage with a rope tied around my neck,” he said.” Of course, it was an artistic choice, as well as an essential prop for the play, but nonetheless, I could sense discomfort from the audience. I could tell that it would be controversial. And I definitely got a lot of questions about it after the show — did it hurt? Why did you do that? But I think that the rope was integral to the part I played, and I don’t think I would have changed it if I were to play the same role again.”
“The thing I am most proud of is they banded together, took the weight off of me, and really brought the show to life,” Ms. Tracy Ginder-Delventhal, their teacher of two terms, said.
Grady Bohen ’19, director of a scene from Ayad Akhtar’s Disgraced, agrees with his teacher and team: “My cast brought incredible energy and the show came to life on stage. From Arjun [Katechia ’19’s] opening moment on the terrace, the Gelb truly became that apartment in Manhattan, and the roles came to life,” Bohen said.
Luk is delighted with the way his actors set up the atmosphere of his piece. “Right in the beginning, when Orpheus and Eurydice run out from the wings and soak in the blue spotlight, they look out into the audience and welcome them into the story and into their love — I am always moved during that part of the show. I am also proud of my actors who always knew how to improvise and move on whenever there would be a technical issue,” he said.
The directors felt that there could have been improvements in both night’s plays. Luk said, “I could’ve done a better job with explaining the narrative elements of the show. I heard some comments about how the visual elements seem to take an emphasis over the storytelling of the piece. I wished I could’ve paid more attention in making sure the audience fully understood the characters’ motives and the plot of the play.”
Bohen agreed. He believed there were small details that could have perfected the overall presentation. “Lines and tech cues could’ve been tighter, but we were as close to perfection as I ever could’ve imagined,” he said.
Luk, having participated in past shows, believes this show will always be unique because it comes from his own creative voice. “The shows I’ve seen in SDS in previous years are normally quite realistic and rely on humor. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to create a more poignant piece. As someone who likes to do multiple disciplines of art, I also combined a lot of techniques I learned in dance, music, and photography through the composition and soundscape of my play.”
Bohen, on the other hand, missed last year’s show because of his commitment to varsity basketball. “I’ll never say a bad word about any SDS show that I’ve seen because I know how much work goes into the process, but I will say that I think Disgraced was unique. We took our scene in a different direction, chose a script that challenges the audience to reflect, and the cast bought into the goal of producing something meaningful from day one,” he said.
Luk is humbled by how the audience reacted: “Seeing people tearing up outside the theater after my play just made my heart sing. I was so glad my intention of the play came across, and my creation moved them. As an artist, there is nothing more exciting than an audience fully engaging with your work.”
Without a doubt, this year’s directors and actors poured their hearts and souls into their productions. Liam Podos ’20 filmed all scenes, so students who missed the performances may still have an opportunity to see them.
