Last weekend, the St. John’s community was, yet again, treated to a performance of original student work at the Little Theater.
The theater honor society, Alpha Psi Omega, opened a collection of 12 one acts, called The Bromidean Project, March 13, showing something very different from other one act series. This time, the students not only performed one act plays, but the show also had dance, a live band and a solo singer, bringing back some St. John’s alumni to help out with the show.
“The Bromidean Project held the same ideals of the previous one acts, acting as a breeding ground for original student work and artistic growth on campus, but this time it was expanded to embrace all art forms,” said Elizabeth Hounsell, Alpha Psi Omega president. “The submissions were allowed to include one act plays, music, dance, performance art, film/video, poetry and still art.”
“We had several different types of pieces so it was a nice, wide variety,” said Alpha Psi Omega vice president Nicholas Caccavo. “It kept everybody thinking, but I don’t think it got boring or made people really want to shift in their seats.”
Many people attended one of the four different performances to show their support. In fact, the numbers in attendance came as a surprise to the theater group.
“The producers are still in shock at the turnout numbers,” Hounsell said. “The original student series grows larger each time with more and more students discovering the free nature and feeling of the show.”
“I just wasn’t expecting the turnout we got. I never thought I’d see standing room with that kind of a set up [for 65 people],” said Caccavo, who also was an actor and director for the show. “The second night we did it we added more seats because we realized how big it was and then there was even more standing room.”
“The turnout was simply fantastic,” said theater group member Craig Smith. “I was thoroughly impressed by the support the audience showed in coming to the show.”
The audience made sure that those who put on the show were aware they were present and enjoying themselves.
“The audience was extraordinary. I can’t say enough about them,” said Smith, who played Arnold Schwarzenegger in and wrote “Cooking With Arnold.”
“Many different people came up to me after the show and had nothing but kind words,” he said. “I can’t give them enough thanks for the support they showed to me, my cast mates and all the members of the theater community.”
For theater group members such as Smith, this was a positive experience that will only encourage further involvement within the organization.
“This was one of the best experiences in my acting career. I had such a wonderful time,” Smith said. “The casts of all the different pieces were exceptional. This was such a great experience that I can safely say that…’I’ll be back.'”
Now that the The Bromidean Project is over, it’s easy to see that Alpha Psi Omega has made another great contribution to the theater program.
“Overall, I could not be prouder of The Bromidean Project. Each of the actors, performers and directors worked incredibly hard on their specific pieces,” Hounsell said. “Although the pieces were very different, I think their honesty and simplicity complimented each other very well.”
In the future, St. John’s will have more exposure to original student work as the Little Theater continues to be home to performances such as The Bromidean Project.
“I think that the original student series is such a positive thing for the University as it promotes, showcases and celebrates original thoughts and creations among our peers,” said Hounsell. “I hope that it may continue to grow and include a wider involvement of the students here at St. John’s.”
