History at play at 24-Hour Theatre

April 2, 2007 —

by Christina Dillbeck

Andrew Sharrow and Jason Parker reluctantly share a kiss as Shakespearean actors in "It's all Greek to me."

As the pamphlet that accompanied 24-Hour Theatre suggested, summarzing 4000 years of theatre in around an hour is a difficult task for anybody.

But for Work n' Progress and SVSU's theatre department, it didn't seem like such a tall order, as they decided to try and pull it off in under 24 hours. And thus, "It's all Greek to Me" was born, a play written, directed and acted by SVSU students in 24 hours' time.

And as is the case with any good play, themes emerged as the work progressed.

And like any good play, those themes were universal. The most universal of all?

Orgies.

I somehow doubt that the word 'orgy' has ever been uttered more, excluding some of the stuff West Hollywood produces.

And like you could imagine, this made the play totally irresistible. Bethany Champion's performances, in particular, stood out as particularly well-executed.

The theatre department's next project is "Angels in America," a controversial play about a man who contracts AIDS. It debuts April 20.