Student Playwriting Festival Captures Voices of a Budding Generation
Performers in the Student Playwriting Festival (Photo Credit: Lehman's Theater & Dance Department)
By Esgardo Castelan
This year’s Lehman’s Student Playwriting Festival, held annually at the Studio Theater, featured five unique family-oriented plays written and performed by Lehman students and alumni. The plays focused on life events such as workplace romances, explosive Thanksgiving dinners, and tragic degenerative memory loss; the one that ran from Feb. 26 to Feb. 29 culminated with a collaborative act.
The original short plays included “Remember Me” by Damarilee Alvarado, selected as one of ten plays to be featured at CUNY’s Theater Festival at City College in March, “Playing Around” by Raelene Holmes, “Pure White” by Myles McNeal, “Just Say Hi” by Francisco Morales, and “Thanksgiving” by Princess Thomas. They were all produced in four weeks in coordination with faculty Director Stephanie Stowe.
Morales’ “Just Say Hi” is about a romance that simply couldn’t flourish despite plenty of chances, due to characters’ self-doubt and overthinking. It stars two office coworkers who work on different floors battling with mutual romantic feelings. Morales cleverly uses asides to show close glimpses of the characters, who constantly run into each other on the elevator.
The story reaches its climax when both characters tell each other what they want, a twist that drives the plot into an unexpected direction, while maintaining the wish for a happily-ever-after. In essence, the fast-paced, funny and charming tale teaches a lesson of letting chances slip away. Anyone who ever had a crush can easily relate to the protagonists’ awkward and silly interactions as they attempt to maintain some semblance of work etiquette.
Thomas’ “Thanksgiving” brings high tension from the onset, as Monica, 18, and 30-something Anna and Deborah, hurl passive-aggressive insults at each other during their family's holiday dinner, discovering burdens and secrets neither of them can hide any longer.
Their exchange reveals that both Monica and Anna strove to secure a comfortable life for Monica who was born into poverty in which Anna, who is innocent of all family grudges, couldn’t really make ends meet. The characters who initially act hostile towards each other eventually reconcile their differences and work together to keep the family whole.
(Photo Credit: Lehman's Theater & Dance Department)
Thomas does an excellent job representing the many families who sadly fall victim to their grudge-holding habits, highlighting the importance of family unity during difficult times and the dangers of keeping secrets. It’s a heartwarming testament to the strength of family and women that reaffirms family values, honesty and communications while maintaining a light tone through sheer melodrama.
In Alvarado’s “Remember Me,” the character Harley wanders near a coffee shop during a snowstorm. She waits under the storm with a friend, Gabriel, who she eventually recognizes after realizing it is not the first time she’s entered the shop, as it is not clear at first that the barista already knows the protagonist. The audience learns the truth of her illness and memory loss along with her.
The interplay between the two suggests a romantic undertone, and spectators can’t help but wish they had known each other under different circumstances. The plot is a tragic love story without the love, that shows taking care of others is a chivalrous act and a virtue that can go a long way.
“Pure White Ash” is about a gang that has been taking hits and there is a price for their gang leader. The drama comes down to who the gang leader can trust because there is a mole in the gang.
“Play Around” focuses on 21st century dating with smart phones and dating apps. It shows how people can be who they really are in person but not online. When Trina Farina-a woman who wants to get some attention, meets Tom-a man up to no good in the woods, it doesn’t end well.
Together, the plays reveal how young adults are living and feeling in today’s world.
