Student theatre troupe prepares for fall season

Group focuses on comedy shows, tries to perform twice per semester

October 1, 2007 —

by Doug Julian

Work n' Progress members Bethany Champion, Coleen Cartwright, Alyssa Kindy and Mathew Easterwood rehearse for their upcoming production "Wonder of the World," which the cast describes as a 'dark comedy." The play opens on Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the Black Box theatre. Tickets are $5.

by Doug Julian

Work n' Progress members Bethany Champion, Coleen Cartwright, Alyssa Kindy and Mathew Easterwood rehearse for their upcoming production "Wonder of the World," which the cast describes as a 'dark comedy." The play opens on Nov. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the Black Box theatre. Tickets are $5.

Work N' Progress, a student-run comedy troupe at SVSU, has a busy year ahead of them with "Wonder of the World" and "Twenty Four Hour Theatre."

Patrick Konesko, an SVSU senior majoring in theatre, is one of the co-presidents of the student acting group.

"We're primarily a comedy group. We'd like to get into serious stuff, but we're all college kids and like to have fun," Konesko said, laughing.

Konesko said that despite low publicity, he looks forward to the upcoming school year and the shows Work N' Progress will be putting on.

"A lot of people on campus aren't aware of the theatre department as a whole, let alone Work N' Progress," Konesko said.

Work N' Progress was founded four years ago. It is a student group made up almost entirely of theatre majors and minors and typically meets once a week to either practice improv theater or discuss upcoming performances. Currently, the members follow a much more demanding schedule due to an upcoming show.

The fall performance, known as "Wonder of the World," is a dark comedy about a woman named Cass who embarks on a journey of self discovery. It was written by the American playwright David Lindsay-Abaire.

Members of Work N' Progress will perform this play on Nov. 2 and 3, both days at 7:30 p.m. in Curtiss 180. This performance is $5 at the door but tickets can also be purchased at the theatre department's main office, Curtiss 184.

"Twenty Four Hour Theatre," on the other hand, follows an entirely different approach. In this performance, members of Work N' Progress lock themselves up within the confines of the theatre department for exactly 24 hours. During this time, the students write skits, create sets, and rehearse to perform said skits in front of people that have already paid admission and have no idea what to expect from the troupe. No specific dates or times for this performance have been announced.

Konesko says that even though he enjoys acting, Work N' Progress is really just an outlet for fun and expression. He says he enjoys being part of the production of the plays themselves.

"I don't do as much acting anymore," Konesko said. "I intend to be a professor of theatre, eventually. You need to be able to do all of it. I still enjoy acting, I'm just realistic about it. I know I'm not good enough to be a professional actor."