Sophomore Chris Forrer is looking forward to taking the next step in creating his play, “Checkmate,” after holding a staged reading of his play Oct. 1 in the Marshall Theatre.
A staged reading involves actors reading the script on a stage.
“They step out of the box of reading from behind music stands,” Forrer said.
He will use the staged reading to develop his script and submit it to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region VII, a gathering for aspiring playwrights in the Northwest.
Last year, Forrer’s 10-minute play “The Smoker” was one of six plays that received a staged reading at the festival. It also appeared in CAMAS, Linfield’s Journal of Art & Literature.
Forrer has also written several other 10-minute plays.
Forrer said the idea for “Checkmate” dates back to high school drama class. While practicing movement scenes, he said he was inspired by the concept of actors being only able to move like chess pieces.
“Checkmate” is a spoof of the noir genre that tells the story of personified board game pieces.
Detective Sam Bishop is trying to bring down the crime lord, “Queen,” with the help of his assistant Megan “Rookie” Castle and Sgt. Patrick McKnight.
Along the way, they encounter a rough gang of checkers, some illiterate Scrabble letters and other characters.
Associate Professor of Theatre Arts and resident director Janet Gupton contacted Forrer during the summer hoping to do a project this fall. Forrer sent her a draft in July but said he has been working on “Checkmate” for about a year.
“It was fun getting to work with Janet,” Forrer said.
Gupton is directing the staged reading. She cast it along with Forrer. The cast features a number of student actors.
Forrer said the casting process at this stage is all about voice.
“A staged reading is meant to feel like the play is being read for the first time, not staged or performed, he said.”
If he were to move toward performing “Checkmate” as a play, he would make sure all the characters move like their chess counterpart, and even paint the stage to look like a giant game board, he said.
Forrer is a theater and political science double major. In addition to writing plays, he said he is involved in the Double Vision Jazz Choir and the Forensics program.
The reading is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1 in the Marshall Theatre of Ford Hall. Admission is free.

Sean Lemme/Staff reporter
Sean Lemme can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

The Department of Theatre and Communications Arts kicked off its 2010-11 theater season with its annual Student Icebreaker,
which features two plays remounted from last spring’s Advanced Directing Scenes.
The scenes are from “The Vagina Monologues,” written by Eve Ensler, and “Dutchman,” a one-act written by LeRoi Jones.
“We thought these two pieces from the advanced directing showcase were not only representative of good student work but also
were plays that needed to be seen by more of the student population at Linfield,” Janet Gupton, associate professor of theatre arts and
resident director, said via e-mail. “Both are ground breaking pieces of theater for their time and still manage to surprise, shock and,
hopefully, educate audiences today.”
Gupton said that an additional reason for this decision was because all of the actors from the scenes would be returning in the fall,
allowing for the Icebreaker to occur earlier in the semester and show incoming students what the theater program has to offer.
The Icebreaker opens with 16 scenes from “The Vagina Monologues,” directed by senior Steven Stewart. The scenes feature senior
Bree Adams and sophomores McKenna Peterson, Laura Haspel and Ellen Hubbs.

The scenes run the gamut of the female experience, Stewart said, using the vagina as a metaphor for femininity and the female in
the modern world in scenes dealing with topics from genital mutilation to the production’s pinnacle scene about the power of birth.
Other than reworking the lights and costumes for the scenes since the spring production, the actresses have grown into their
characters as well as grown as individuals, making for deeper connections and stronger messages, Stewart said.
“I hope it gets men to understand more about the female experience and women to be more comfortable talking about these things,”
he said. “Once we get people to share they have a heightened sense of self when we get past the awkwardness society has placed on
[the subject].”
Following “The Vagina Monologues” is the one-act play “Dutchman,” directed by 2010 Linfield graduate Will DeBiccari.
“Dutchman” depicts a scene in a subway car with a white woman, played by senior Grace Beckett, and a young black man, played
by senior Tristan Patin. The woman makes vulgar advances toward the man, and when they’re unsuccessful, she resorts to insults and
humiliation. The man’s veneer of decency then shatters as the scene dissolves into racially charged anger and, ultimately, violence.
“Dutchman” and “The Vagina Monologues” are both connect with the audience and aim to expose the audience to things that people
feel uncomfortable talking about, but need to talk about, Stewart said.
The Student Icebreaker runs at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16-18 in Marshall Theatre. Tickets are $5 and all seating is
general admission.

Gabrielle Nygaard/Staff reporter
Gabrielle Nygaard can be reached at linfieldreviewculture@gmail.com.

Antipholous of Syracuse (freshman Chris Forrer, left) and Dromio of Sri Lanka (sophomore Garrick Rozario) try to avoid a courtesan (junior Steven Stewart) in “The Comedy of Errors” dress rehearsal May 1. Danyelle Meyers Freelancer.

Mention of the Shakespearean play “The Comedy of Errors” may signal to an audience that it will be subjected to language from that era and that it will be more confusing than amusing.
However, Linfield college theater students, in an adaptation by Janet Gupton, associate professor of theatre arts, have developed the play’s modern appeal.
The adapted version takes place in present day. The International Market Place of Waikiki in Honolulu is where the play’s location is set, whereas the islands of Greece are written into the original work.
The setting is a major revision and the costume design has been revamped — even the acting style has been modernized, but not completely. Gupton said in a press release that she searched for a balance between contemporary language and Shakespeare’s original language so as not to depart from Shakespeare’s writing play, but still interplay with modernism.
The storyline, however, remains true to form. Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant Dromio of Syracuse arrive in Ephesus, which, unbeknownst to the man and his servant, is the home of each man’s identical twin. The four men comprise two sets of identical twins whose families and friends mistake them during the production.
“The show has been pretty fun to work on,” sophomore Grace Beckett said. “A lot of the play has been revamped. Some characters speak in contemporary language, but the Shakespearean language has been a nice challenge for those of us who kept it. My character, originally named ‘Angelo’ is now ‘Angela.’ The costume design is also pretty fun and bold. A few of us are doing the play in swimsuits.”
Dean of Students Dave Hansen was honored on the opening night of “The Comedy of Errors.” On May 7, Professor of English Ken Erickson will also be recognized.
Hansen has shown the theater program tremendous support during his time as dean of students, a position which he will step down from after this year at Linfield. Erickson, who will retire from the department of English at year’s end, has taught Shakespearean literature with great zeal during his time as a professor.
Show dates and times are set for May 6-8 and 13-15 at 8 p.m. and May 9 at 2 p.m. Performances will take place inside the Marshall Theatre of Ford Hall.
A full-price ticket is $9. Tickets are $7 for seniors, Linfield faculty and staff. Student tickets are $5. On opening night, tickets will be discounted. Tickets will be sold to mothers for $5 on Mother’s Day.
Visit www.linfield.edu/culture to purchase tickets online, or by phone at 503-883-2292. In-person purchases from Marshall Theatre Box Office are an option, as well.
Septembre Russell
Copy chief Septembre Russell can be reached at linfieldreviewcopy@gmail.com

Mrs. Mullin (Kathleen Walter), Billy Bigelow (senior Andrew Pohl), Julie Jordan (sophomore Kayla Wilkens) and Carrie Pipperidge (sophomore Chelsea Janzen) practice for “Carousel.” For tickets, call the Gallery Theater at 503-472-2227. Megan Myer/Photo editor.

The Linfield Opera Theater and McMinnville’s Gallery Theater joined forces to put on a production of the musical “Carousel,” written by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

The large cast of more than 50 people includes Linfield students and community members. Three of the six principle roles are portrayed by Linfield students. Senior Andrew Pohl plays the role of Billy Bigelow; sophomore Chelsea Janzen plays the role of Carrie Pipperidge; and sophomore Kayla Wilkens is cast to play Julie Jordan.

Included in the cast are Janzen’s eight siblings.

“We have about 18 children in the show, and they’re bright kids and eager to be in the show and onstage,” Professor of Music Gwen Leonard said. “All the people in the cast are bright people. There have been political moments, but no cast that size will be without them.”

The Linfield Opera Theater typically does a collaborative show with the Gallery Theater every other year, although it has been three years since the last collaboration.

“It works out well for our students because there’s a proscenium stage,” Leonard said. “The Gallery has the sources for sets and costumes. We do the stage direction, music direction and music personnel.”

The musical itself is interesting in terms of its plot, as it touches on controversial issues.

“It was quite radical in its time,” Janzen said. “It was shocking to see domestic violence on stage.”

She said the show also addresses the question of women roles.

The plot is also unconventional in that it uses the antihero character type.

“It has a little more of an interesting storyline than most shows in the ’40s in that it has an antihero character,” Leonard said. “[Billy Bigelow] is self-indulgent, charming and handsome. His thinking is a bit skewed and impetuous.”

Although the work leading up to the opening of the show has gone fairly smoothly, there are a few particular hurdles that had to be transcended.

“Because it is a large production, and there are so many vignettes in the drama, the challenge has been to get the details and the quality of the vignettes accomplished and then getting the flow of the show,” Leonard said. “It’s a long show, about two and a half hours, and we cut a lot. I think we were successful in getting that flow and pace going. Pace is so important with any kind of musical theater, the energy has to stay high.”

Despite the challenges that  working toward the opening of “Carousel” bring, Janzen said she is confident in the production.

“I’ve been in plays where we’ve been all over the place for the dress rehearsal,” Janzen said. “[‘Carousel’] is really smooth, and people have worked hard to get to where they need to be.”

Amanda Summers

Copy editor Amanda Summers can be reached at linfieldreviewcopy@gmail.com

C.B. (junior Matt Sunderland) is pinned down by Beethoven (senior Will DeBiccari) in a fight provoked by an argument during the rehearsal of “Dog sees God” on March 11. -Megan Myer/Photo editor

“It’s totally perfect for our age group. High school is a hard time, but most people tend to forget that college is a hard time, too. So why not do this play?”
That was senior Jillian Haig’s response as to why she advocated for the Linfield Theatre and Communication Arts Department to perform “Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead” for the season’s third full-length play.
The play, which will open March 16 in Marshall Theatre, is a parody of the famous “Peanuts” comic strip, created by Charles M. Schulz, set 10 years in the future.
The main character, C.B. (junior Matt Sunderland), ponders the afterlife after his dog dies from rabies. And pulling from the comic, although in angst-ridden fashion, his friends offer little substantial help. His friends range from a pothead to a goth to a pyromaniac to a homophobic neat-freak; it’s a hodgepodge of craziness for C.B.
However, fate intervened, as it is prone to do, and C.B. meets Beethoven, an artistic kid with a giant bull’s eye painted on his back. Controversial topics including drug use, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence and sexual identity run rampant in this script, and it would be a surprise if it didn’t beget any controversy.
“There are things in this play that not everyone will agree with,” Haig said. “It’s a part of theater and a part of life. It’s OK if people don’t like it. This won’t be as controversial as ‘Crave,’ but it will be more so than ‘Doll’s House.’”
Haig was responsible for bringing the script to Linfield, after reading it last summer. She said she wanted to showcase it during Fall Semester, but the department decided to postpone it until Spring Semester when it could run as a full-length play.
“It’s really close to my heart, and I’m excited for it,” Haig said. “Some of the other colleges are jealous of us.”
Haig will play Van’s sister (known only as that), an institutionalized pyromaniac.
She said that because of the short rehearsal period, which began the first week of Spring Semester, rehearsals tended to be three hours a night, sometimes up to four or five. Haig said it is worth it, though.
“Hopefully, it will open people up to some of the things around them,” Haig said.
Jay Gipson-King, class of ’00, is directing “Dog Sees God.”
“Jay is fun to work with,” Haig said. “He’s passionate about what he does.”
Along with Haig and Sunderland, the cast includes seniors Will DeBiccari and Brenna Crocker, junior Alessa Downing, sophomore Will Bailey and freshmen Aaron Granum and Claudia Ramirez. The scenic design is by junior Robert Vaughn; the costume design is by Alethia Moore-Del Monaco, Costume Designer and Costume Shop Manager; the sound design is by DeBiccari; and the lighting design is by Tyrone Marshall, professor of theater and communication arts. The stage manager is freshman Christopher Forrer.
The takeaway: “Look at what you can connect with personally,” Haig said. “Everyone can identify with a character because they’re all human.”

Dominic Baez
Editor-in-chief Dominic Baez can be reached at linfieldrevieweditor@gmail.com