School of Theater

A Concert Presentation of: Once Upon a Mattress

Nafisa Ferdous — Wed, 08 May 2024 15:23:14 +0000

A Concert Presentation of: Once Upon a Mattress Nafisa Ferdous Wed, 05/08/2024 - 11:23

In This Story

The world premiere of A Concert Presentation of: Once Upon a Mattress from Mason's School of Theater and the Mason Players was performed in TheaterSpace on Mason's Fairfax campus from April 26-28, 2024.

The musical was directed by Erin Gardiner and Joe Walsh gave Musical Direction. Here is how our director brought the script to life:

"Once Upon A Mattress landed on Broadway in 1959 as a quintessential musical comedy. Mary Rogers composed the score in a time when men dominated the musical theater writing profession. The show won a Tony for Best Musical and a Tony nomination for Carol Burnett who made her Broadway debut in the lead role. Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale, The Princess and the Pea, Mattress is funny, witty, with rousing choruses, dance, and a great score. Two women were the backbone of this musical and so it is no surprise that the show plays with gender stereotypes, gender expectations, and pushes against those while still charming its audience. The show uses comedy to pull people in and create positive emotional connection, which can inspire engagement and action. Whether it is 1959 or 2024, we need to keep representing characters that break the rules, go against the norms, and charm us all while accomplishing the task. Brilliantly, this show makes you laugh at the absurdness we put on gender roles and makes you love the characters not in spite of how they are different but BECAUSE they are different. We hope this production of Mattress has the power to do that for you. These students have explored the comedy and satire of the piece with a boldness that continues to wow me. I hope this production gives you that joy that keeps us coming back to these classic shows for there is richness in the art and lessons of the past. “Oh life is grand! It’s very int’resting, I think I understand!”

Topics

Musical Theater

theater director

Theater

Antigone, Presented by the Girls of St. Catherine’s

Nafisa Ferdous — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 19:14:09 +0000

Antigone, Presented by the Girls of St. Catherine’s Nafisa Ferdous Wed, 04/03/2024 - 15:14

The world premiere of Antigone, Presented by the Girls of St. Catherine’s from Mason's School of Theater and the Mason Players was performed in Harris Theatre on Mason's Fairfax campus from March 21-24, 2024.

The play is written by Madhuri Shekar. Here is how Director Deb Sivigny brought the script to life:

"GRETA: I feel like you see us. Like, you’re the only one here who sees us.

When I was a teenager (go CRHS class of ’95!) I desperately wanted to be seen. Seen by teachers, seen by boys, seen by girls…anybody who cared about me beyond the shallow day-to-day interactions of high school. There was a distinct social order, and while that sounds trope-y, the repercussions of that time shaped the person I’ve become since then, for good and well, less good.

The setting of this play--mid-1990s, rural Connecticut, private Catholic girls’ school creates a pressure cooker created both by the institution of the Church and complex teenage relationships in a pre-cell phone, pre-social media world.

However, with the knowledge of “me-too” stories of the past decade, this play pushes hard on our present unwillingness to interpret nuances in the student-teacher relationship. As the play begins, I’m fascinated by the character of Jamie/Mr. Reed, who almost feels like 2024 walked in the door. He’s smart, funny, passionate; he sees these young women in a way that they haven’t been seen before. While I personally don’t condone his actions, I invite you to consider what community accountability looks like, and how a character like Jamie might be helped by restorative justice. He is human, he made some very bad decisions, but is he the worst of the worst?

I’m riveted by the blurry lines between information and gossip, protest and rebellion. Playwright Madhuri Shekar uses the themes and text from Sophocles’ Antigone to play out the conflict between the women, giving every moment a dual meaning. Antigone wanted to commit a rebellious act against the wishes of the King, bending fate and her destiny towards her own death. But what is “death” for Marilyn? And what is it for Greta? Is professing a deep affection for another human a sin?

Non-believers are often quick to criticize that the Church has too many restrictive rules and regulations; but I’m interested in how structure can create the image of freedom for believers and how it resonates with the belief systems of each of the characters. We’ve read many stories about the abuse of power in the Catholic Church, especially non-consensual circumstances between priests and young boys. However, what does a consensual pairing look like in the eyes of the Church? Does age matter? Why is love between two women or two men more abominable in the eyes of the Church? Where is the actual line between what is okay and what is not, and who’s responsibility is it to maintain the line?"

Topics

Theater

College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA)

College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Theater

Mentoring The Mason Players

Nafisa Ferdous — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 18:11:26 +0000

Mentoring The Mason Players Nafisa Ferdous Wed, 09/06/2023 - 14:11

In This Story

April E. Brassard

Franklin A. Robinson, Jr.

The Originals!, featuring original new works by the School of Theater’s The Mason Players, hits the TheaterSpace stage on September 15 and 16.

The production offers talented student playwrights and students the chance to share their work in a variety of forms. Whether it’s a musical or the traditional ten-minute play structure, explore the brilliant imaginations of The Mason Players as they present this year’s The Originals!

Our professors Franklin Robinson, Jr. and April Brassard mentored The Mason Players while the students managed the productions, from writing to acting to all technical aspects. Here is what they had to say:

"The Originals! holds an incredibly special place in our hearts. This production is entirely student written, directed, performed, designed, stage managed, and produced. As professors, we strive to not only educate our students in theater, but to see them step into the roles they have learned about, to embrace their chosen craft, and to gain experience that will prepare them for their future endeavors. There is nothing more fulfilling than watching our students further develop their confidence, collaborate creatively, and channel their talents into creating incredible theater.

We begin The Originals! in January, receiving playwright submissions, then choose six plays to develop, pair student directors to bring each play to life, and (over the summer) workshop the plays with the playwrights to perfect the pieces for the stage. Finally, in the Fall, our process culminates in an inspiring evening of performances. We collaborate much of the year on this festival, which amplifies our adoration for The Originals!"

Come along for this ride and support new voices in theater!

Topics

The Mason Players

The Originals!

College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Theater

Theater