Sacred Heart University’s Theater Arts Program held the third and final round of Theaterfest on the weekend of Feb. 23 to Feb. 25 in the Little Theater. Theaterfest is an event where Sacred Heart students can submit and produce their original plays.
Senior Kayla Goncalves, writer of “Don’t Forget to Visit,” explained each round of Theaterfest. Round one involves a simple table read of each student’s script. The students that get selected for round two work with a director and actors to block the scenes. For the final round, the remaining students get a fully produced show, with costumes, props, lighting and an audience.
When writing her show, Goncalves used her own grief journey as inspiration.
“Writing the show had me looking at grief in kind of a more hopeful and positive lens,” said Goncalves. “That’s just kind of the goal that I want for everybody else who comes to see my show is to leave with a different perspective and outlook on life as well as maybe helping them through their own grief journeys.”
Goncalves’ show followed a young couple in their kitchen talking about those they’ve lost, while their late relatives watched
from a bench up above. Although the show covered an emotional topic, there were moments of comedic relief to keep a lively energy in the theater.
“I think my favorite part is getting to work with so many different people and getting to see everyone shine in their prospective roles,” said Goncalves. “I have nothing but amazing things to say about my creative team, which is my director and stage manager, as well as my cast.”
“What We Do is Beautiful,” is “made by actors for actors,” said senior Maggie Devlin, the director of the performance. “It plays a lot on people’s insecurities, and they learn how to be confident in themselves and work together through that,” Devlin said.
“I love seeing all three of the actresses go from the very beginning where we had basically nothing to work with to where we are now with a fully developed show,” said Devlin. “They’ve really made my image come to life and it’s just something I’m really proud of.”
Devlin believes Theaterfest is very important for students to
gain independence in the entertainment field. “It’s such a great learning experience because you get to originate a role for the actors which is something people rarely get to do.”
Freshman Adam Petrosino wrote “Metronome,” a show about a poet who battles with his own rigidity in both his writing and his relationships. “He clings to form when he writes his poems, following the ticking of the metronome on his desk for ideas,” said Petrosino.
“Metronome is a message about the importance of openness and accountability of one’s mistakes, not only in poetry but in one’s relationships with others,” said Petrosino. “True freedom is recognizing your mistakes and then learning from them.”
“The process of putting a show together for Theaterfest has been an amazing creative and collaborative experience. I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to work with the company I had, with my creative team and actors just as passionate about the piece as I was,” said Petrosino. “Seeing Metronome come alive has been the most impactful creative experience of my life.”
