Wells-Metz to feature student playwrights

“At First Sight: A Repertory of New Plays” will debut Friday night at the Wells-Metz Theatre, featuring original plays written by students Kelly Lusk and Nathan Alan Davis.

The two plays, “(a love story)” and “Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea” will run in rotation at the Wells-Metz Theatre. “(a love story)” will open Friday and “Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea” will debut Saturday.

“(a love story)” tells the story of three couples from different walks of life as they struggle to define what love really means to them.

Senior cast member Emily Mange said she thoroughly enjoyed getting to act in a production created by fellow IU student Lusk.

“It is a thrilling experience to be able to work so closely with the playwright and see when his inspiration came from experiences in Bloomington,” Mange said. “Being able to craft my role with the knowledge of the playwright’s intentions was very satisfying.”

Although the show’s message is grounded in real life, Mange said a lot of fantasy has been incorporated into the play, something she hasn’t particularly dealt with before as an actor.

“(a love story),” while grounded in realistic feelings and emotions, deals with many non-realistic images and occurrences,” she said. “I have never dealt with a play that incorporates such fantastical concepts, so it was a fun process to treat even the silliest of things as a real and tangible part of the play’s world.”

The second play, “Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea,” follows title character Dontrell and his dreams of an ancestor thrown off a ship and his decision to dive into the ocean and save him.

Junior Patricia Millard plays Shea, Dontrell’s cousin, to whom he often comes for advice. Millard said getting the opportunity to act in this play was wonderful, and she especially appreciated the strong relationships formed on set.

“I loved the atmosphere that always surrounded the space during our rehearsal,” Millard said. “Everyone who was in the room during our rehearsals grew together as a unit and became very close very quickly. It allowed for us to grow in our understanding of the story and to discuss relevant issues that more distant groups cannot.”

Millard said she thinks the shows are wonderful, and she expects people to walk away from “Dontrell” feeling moved.

“People can expect a beautiful experience, a wonderful story that is unlike any other you will probably see in the theater,” she said. “A story that needs to be told. To quote my castmate Ian Martin, ‘Enjoy its comedy, but look for its gravity.’”