This year's freshmen have something to teach Tufts about love - and it has nothing to do with random hookups at frat parties.
"Comic Potential," 3Ps' all-freshman show, puts a new spin on a very old theme. It's a love story, but the play's two main characters are a far cry from Romeo and Juliet.
The show opens on a futuristic studio run by Chandler "Chance" Tate (played by Harrison Stamell), a disillusion director. The audience comes to understand that, although Tate once garnered fate for his comedic work, the man has now stooped to directing daytime soaps.
The actors in Tate's shows aren't human - and that's not a critique of their performance skills. They're "actoids," or robots who look exactly like humans and play characters on daytime television.
Carla Pepperbloom soon pays Tate a visit; played by Alison Lisnow, Pepperbloom is a manipulative accountant controlling the studio and pressuring Chandler to improve his plummeting ratings. She brings with her Adam Trainsmith, played by Austin Field, a young writer who greatly admires Chandler and changes things in the studio forever.
During a lunch break, Adam finds himself alone with one of the actoids, played by Tali Cornblath. Adam is surprised that this actoid responds to his questions, and the pair end up having a conversation about acting. Her name, it turns out, is Jacie Triplethree - a derivative of her registration number - and she has a knack for comedy.
Adam is so taken with Jacie's talent that he writes an entire show for her. Despite Tate's support, the studio isn't thrilled with Adam's effort. No one believes that an actoid can think on her own or show any sort of individual spontaneity. Jacie is deemed dangerous and sentenced to be melted down.
Of course, Adam has done more than write a show around Jacie; he's fallen in love with her - and she reciprocates. The two flee the studio and are forced to deal with their own emotional struggles while fighting anti-actoid sentiment.
With good timing and solid acting, the all-freshman cast fully realizes the comic potential of "Comic Potential." The show manages to be funny and engaging while forcing its audience to ask questions about love, stereotypes and differences.
Director and Tufts junior Jenny Gerson says she chose "Comic Potential" as this year's all-freshmen show because she "read it and just kept laughing."
"It's a really funny play, but also has very serious aspects that people can relate to," Gerson said.
Members of the cast agreed that their first experience with collegiate theater has been very different from the shows they did in high school. Learning to perform theater in the round was challenging for many cast members, as they had previously only dealt with proscenium settings. Preparatory exercises involving spatial relationships and viewpoints were also challenging.
"I had to break down all of my training and start over," Lisnow said.
Another noticeable difference was taking direction from a fellow student who appreciated the cast's input.
"This was more of a cooperative effort," actor Evan Chiacchiaro said. "There wasn't a teacher directing or anything."
"Having a student director and everyone putting in opinion was different," Stamell agreed. "There was nothing as loose as this in high school."
Everyone seems to think that the show has been worth its difficulties. Many cite friendship as one of best things about their participation in the play.
"Now, I recognize more people around campus," Lisnow said. "And that's really important as far as creating a sense of community."
"The most rewarding thing was meeting people, especially since they're all other freshmen," Chiacciaro said.
"Comic Potential" is a great beginning for the freshmen involved, and many say they plan to continue to participate in theater at Tufts after this semester.
"It's kind of like an introduction to the freshman class," Lisnow said, "People in this show will most likely continue their theater career."
"We're what you have to expect for the next four years," Harrison Stamell said.
There are some questions that "Comic Potential" never answers. Viewers never learn, for example, if it's physically possible for Adam and Jacie to consummate their love.
The one answer the show gives loud and clear, however, is that the class of 2011 does have a lot of potential - comedic and otherwise.
