Student-run theater club hosts Monday meetings, open mic nights
By Tommy Scuderi
Actors Creating Theatre (ACT) is a student-run organization that puts on a variety of productions and various meetings throughout the school year.
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ACT was founded in 2014, following the elimination of musical theatre as a major at KU to give students a space to perform.
The club keeps many people coming back year after year.
“It is a home for so many different people, whether they’re actors, stage crew, directors, artists, dancers, choreographers, anything that could dribble into theater – everyone will find a home here and have their own great experience,” Rachel Day, president of ACT, said. Day has been a part of ACT every year she has been at KU, previously serving as the public relations officer, vice president and now president.
“This year, specifically, we are trying to expand to be more inclusive to not just the actors, but all behind the scenes. We are trying to make this inclusive to all things theater,” said vice president Angel Pena, who is in his fourth year with ACT.
The club meets Mondays at 7 p.m. in the McFarland Student Union, room 183. These meetings often feature entertaining evenings and theme nights.
For example, on Monday Sept. 9, ACT ran costume “Chopped,” a play on the classic TV show. Meeting attendees broke into four teams and used pre-given materials to come up with a character, and costume them accordingly. These characters were then presented runway style and voted on by a panel of “judges” to declare a winner.
Other meeting nights include open mic nights, “Monday Night Live” skit performances and many others.
The bulk of the club is their productions. ACT runs a total of five productions throughout the academic year. A fall play, a student written show, a mainstage musical, a spring play and a spring musical.
The fall play and mainstage musical have already been decided. This year, the fall play is “Bull in a China Shop” by G.B Gilford. It is a comedic mystery surrounding a group of elderly ladies whose obsession with a homicide detective drives them to murder. The play is directed by Rachel Day and Quinton Sheneman, which will be performed on Oct. 17 and 18 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. The play will take place in Little Theater at Schaeffer Auditorium.
“I think the cast and creative team are really prepared, the rehearsals are going smoothly, and I think this is going to be the best play ever,” Day said.
The mainstage musical is “Grease,” an old classic. The show will run on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m., and Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Schaeffer Auditorium.
“I think the opportunity for people to display their talent is exciting, there’s a lot of roles in this show,” Director Adam Steppke said. “There are 10 main featured roles, and then a bunch of supporting roles that range from funny nerds to loud-mouth cheerleaders, and I think that range of character is going to allow for a lot of people to come into their own as performers and express themselves in ways they haven’t been able to before.”
Auditions for male characters will be on Oct. 22 and female characters on Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. Auditioners should come prepared with a memorized one-minute cut of a song not from “Grease,” but fitting the style of the show. They are also expected to learn an audition dance that will be taught at the Oct. 7 ACT meeting, as well as posted in the ACT Facebook group to be learned.
“We want to see auditioners be creative and unique with their auditions. We want to see people act and be visual,” Steppke said.
“I love the time period “Grease” is set in. I think it is a great way to mix the contemporary musical theater style with something from the 1950’s as the setting,” said Carlee Bonanno, music and pit director. “I think that is a very interesting combination and ultimately the music is undeniably fun. That is something we on the creative team want to lean into, especially with the music.”
Future shows for the spring will be selected by the executive board with input and suggestions from members of the club. For more information, ACT can be found on Facebook or on Instagram @ACT_KU.