(Image courtesy: Eva Shifflett and Matteo Hope)
From comical antics to haunting drama, student playwrights, performers and technicians highlight seven original works
BY TIMA SAASAA, STAFF WRITER
This year’s The Originals! at George Mason’s School of Theater featured seven student-written, student-directed plays, each exploring themes of heartbreak, conflict, friendship and loss.
Throughout the evening, the creative group of student directors, playwrights, actors and technicians showcased their abilities and talents on and off the stage.
The night opened with “A Rose and Its Thorns,” written by Thomas Maxson and directed by Lake Rusch setting the tone with a vintage flair. Rose (Adia Spezza) and Pierce (Ethan Hayes) exchanged sharp banter as Pierce broke the fourth wall to playful effect. Rose’s red lip, dress and heels symbolized passion and her fiery spirit, echoed by the cyclorama — the backdrop used for lighting effects — glowing red at the peak of her anger.
“Stuck on a Subway,” written by Paris Devlin and directed by Matteo Hope, turned an everyday commute into surreal chaos. Kid (Lily Robisch) won laughs with wide-eyed energy, and Wizard (Myles Earley) worked the stage with goofy charm as absurd scenes escalated the mayhem. At one point, a businessman crushed a woman’s dog, which the wizard resurrected minutes later.
The night took a more haunting tone with “Self Help,” written by Palika “DC” Roe Sridurongrit and directed by Keeley Allen. The play followed Ika (Kaitlyn Brittenham) as she revisited her past, reliving memories with her older self, Pal (Katie Murchison). Pal convincingly portrayed the mature counterpart to Ika, who balanced vulnerability and innocence. Denise (Ally Martins) grounded the story, while warbling sound effects made memories unsettling and spotlights framed each scene.
(Image courtesy: Eva Shifflett and Matteo Hope)
Whimsy returned in Kajwan Alavi’s “10 Minutes to Kill Me,” directed by Isabella Koontz. Charming (Ennis Shabab) entertained with a cartoon-like voice and exaggerated physicality, while Megan (Anna Higley) balanced him with a childlike, friendly warmth.
A chase sequence backed with carnival music (Kyle Crowne and Alexis Meadows) turned the stage into a circus, while the shifting lights kept the energy racing. More than silliness, the play became a fantastical fever dream, which showcased the collaboration between actors and tech.
“Elysium by the Thread,” written by Brianna Sullivan and directed by Sasha Sands, stood out with its mix of Greek myth and Shakespearean rhythm. The costumes told a story: Cassandra (Dara Kearney) in beige, Modern Cassandra (Keira Bizub) in pants of the same shade and Ephemera (Dakari Calloway) in white.
The story explored duality, imagining Cassandra split into her past and present selves, both forced to confront Ephemera, a figure of chaos. Their conflict intensified through sound and lighting, especially the ‘earthquake’ sequences, where Ephemera’s movements made the stage feel as if it was crumbling. In the end, the two Cassandras joined to overpower her, ending on an eerie note.
“Unlike Me, Unlike You,” written by Katie Rowe and directed by Jax Berg, simmered with tension in a world where appearances constantly shift. Todd (Gabriel Holsinger) opened with a calm presence that balanced Queenie’s (Ava Peach) intensity. Though Myra (Bella Ragona) initially seemed like the villain, it became clear that Todd carried his own darkness, which gave the play emotional depth.
(Image courtesy: Eva Shifflett and Matteo Hope)
The student showcase closed with “Preschool Hamlet,” written by Matteo Hope, Eva Shifflet and Katie Murchison and directed by Kai Yoffe, a show that was nothing short of hilarious. Claude (Owen Potts) and Gogurt (CJ Erwin) delivered some of the night’s biggest laughs and the cast made every moment feel lively and bright. Sock puppet storytelling and the visually engaging set added another layer of humor and creativity as the performers kept the background lively and frenzied.
What made The Originals! so engaging wasn’t just the variety of stories, but how seamlessly the technical design tied the plays together. Lights, sound, costumes and all other departments shaped the mood of each play, giving the actors a strong foundation supported by stage manager Dae’Quon Shines, a junior, whose work kept the productions running smoothly.
As Professors Branner and Hopkins noted, the audience is the final ingredient, and on this night, the George Mason community joined together to laugh and cheer, making The Originals! a celebration of student innovation and imagination.
Editor’s Note: The writer reached out to the faculty directors to confirm the academic years of the student actors. However, the directors were unable to provide this information due to FERPA regulations, which protects student privacy.
