Rose's Teens 'N' Theatre Programs Presents HOW ABSURD!, 4/14-17

The Rose's Teens ‘N' Theater program will present The Young Directors Project: HOW ABSURD! Selections from Absurdist Playwrights. An ensemble of area teen actors will perform five short scenes chosen by teen directors, April 14-17 in the Hitchcock Theater at The Rose.

The Young Directors Project showcases the talent of The Rose's season-long Young Directors Training Class, which is a great opportunity for young artists with acting experience to spend 16 weeks looking at stage plays from a different perspective. The students have the rare chance to select, cast, rehearse and stage a full production in a professional theater environment.

"The students learn a lot from each other and from the hands-on experience of directing other students," said one of the directing mentors Michael Miller.

Miller and Andy Saladino, co-directing mentors, were interested in selecting scripts to help the students truly explore and develop their directing skills. In the past, the young directors have worked with Shakespearean plays and well-known children's stories. But in the program's sixth year, they decided to try something a bit different...

This past fall, the students read and discussed several Absurdist Theater scripts to get a feel for the genre. (Absurdist Theater was a movement in the 1940s-60s reflecting the belief that human existence has no purpose in a godless universe and, therefore, all logical communication breaks down into comedic nonsense.)

The Young Directors then made proposals to direct excerpts from their favorite readings. "They have loved encountering a new genre of theater," said Miller, "and although we're finding that it's a little difficult to express all of the ‘Big Ideas' in an absurdist play when you can only stage a short scene from it, everyone is enjoying the opportunity to explore and experiment with the ridiculous characters, plots and settings."

The selections include THE ROOM by Harold Pinter, directed by Emma Lansdale; THE DWARVES by Harold Pinter, directed by Daniel Elkins; NIGHT by Harold Pinter, directed by Alex Wilson; and two separate scenes from THE LEADER by Eugene Ionesco, directed by Chris Kircher and Megan McCracken.

"Audiences should bring an open and curious mind to relish all of the craziness that these young directors and their talented casts have been stirring up to make perfect nonsense," said Miller. "We think the absurdist playwrights would be proud!"

The Young Directors Project will be presented in the Hitchcock Theater on the fourth floor of The Rose on Thursday, April 14 at 7 p.m., and Saturday, April 16 and Sunday, April 17 at 4:30 p.m. The show is recommended for ages 10 to adult.

Tickets are $6 each and available in advance or day-of-show at The Rose Box Office located at 2001 Farnam Street or (402) 345-4849.

The Rose's Teens ‘N' Theater Program is sponsored by the Mammel Foundation and the Nebraska Arts Council.

 

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