Although every Bare Bodkin show is entirely produced by students, the troupe's first play of the year, "Untitled By Jack," is about students as well - a topic we can all easily relate to.
"Untitled By Jack" follows Jack (freshman Jeremy Price), an aspiring artist trying to decide between theater and film, and his four friends, from the summer before college to the winter before graduation. Through a mixture of fantasy and reality scenes, Jack narrates key events to the audience, leading them through that tumultuous four-year period.
Each of the five characters, from shy-girl-turned-sorority-sister Violet (sophomore Elizabeth Harelik) to alcoholic-womanizer-turned-faithful-Christian-turned-alcoholic-womanizer Boyd (sophomore Josh Wolf), struggles in his or her own way to find out who they are, what they want and how to get there.
The play is both written and directed by Scott Malia, currently pursuing his PhD in Drama at Tufts after completing his undergraduate studies at Emerson. Malia wrote the play seven years ago over the course of a year and used it for his master's thesis.
"I started off thinking it was going to be more autobiographical than it ended up," Malia said. "The characters are autobiographical, but the events are fictional."
As so many college students do, all of the figures in "Untitled" have an issue with identity.
"Jack is unsure of himself, awkward with girls, and blows everything out of proportion," Price said. "He also has no idea what he wants to do with his future."
Harelik, who plays Violet, describes her character as "not very confident or sure of who she is for a long time."
While the quarter-life crisis is not necessarily a new concept, "Untitled By Jack" approaches it in a new way. "It's a different style of play than people usually do," said Harelik.
Instead of staying in one or two locations during Jack's four years of college, the setting is constantly moving around. Also, the production is not staged in an actual theater, but in the friendlier confines of Alumnae Lounge, which, according to Harelik, "makes [the actors] be more creative."
The play is entirely focused on the trials and tribulations of college students, and it's full of relevant personal and social ideas to think about, taking an honest look at what it's like to go through this awkward stage of life.
As the five main characters have to deal with everyday dilemmas of love, sex, family, individuality, religion and friendship, their struggles will ring true with much of the audience. "There is a lot there for people to identify with," Malia said. The contemporary concepts of the play are echoed in Malia's realistic dialogue. The show is not afraid to be crude; in fact, it specializes in "your mom" jokes. A polar opposite from Shakespearian prose, the characters in "Untitled By Jack" speak as naturally as your best friends.
The play manages to find a balance between comedy and tragedy; serious concepts are given proper respect, but there are several laugh-out-loud moments as well. "[Being in college] is usually trivialized. This play takes it more seriously, but is also very funny," said Malia.
Because the director of the play is also the author, Malia has allowed the script to undergo some minor changes since production began. Having the writer on hand to guide development means that, as Price says, "you don't always have to be faithful to the original script."
Now, with opening night just around the corner, Malia does acknowledge that the show has rough edges, but instead of trying to hide from that fact, he and his cast are "trying to embrace it."
Rough edges and all, "Untitled By Jack" is a chance to watch people face familiar problems in an unusual (and hopefully entertaining) way.
