'My Morning' 

Lights up on Emma Lieberman '14 in a bedroom, looking at herself in a black dress in a mirror. She begins to address the audience and it is revealed that she is dressing not for a night out, but for her friend's funeral. In her thesis My Morning, Lieberman retells her experience when, during her first year at Brandeis, her friend committed suicide. Director Gabby Lamm '17 worked one-on-one with Lieberman to make the most out of the small but functional space. The situation felt natural and honest.

What was most impressive about My Morning was Lieberman's ability to create an engaging one-woman show. Although other characters were mentioned, they never appeared on stage. Some characters spoke to Emma's character through voice-overs, but they did not fit well within the piece. It was unclear who voiced them, but their tone and technological feel clashed with an otherwise extremely intimate performance. Likewise, projections were used to display text conversations and Internet searches. The projections were portrayed on a white wall behind Lieberman's bed, appearing as if they were in a thought bubble. They were not always visible, but when they were clear they were well received.

The strongest parts of Lieberman's writing were the moments of dark humor and her awareness of her own idiosyncrasies. Although the subject was serious and there were certainly more somber moments, the script itself was funny. 

It seemed that Lieberman's process included looking back on the situation with wisdom, which included critiquing and accepting her own actions. It became clear that through looking back on her experience with a microscope, Lieberman had healed. The double meaning of the play's title became clear; through addressing and talking about her experience, Lieberman was able to face the future. Amid the guilt and panic of the character, there were moments that reminded the audience of how young and vulnerable the character was. My Morning was an honest retelling of a depressing situation, turning pain and heartbreak into something truly beautiful. 

-Rachel Liff

*

'The Elephant in the Room'

The Elephant in the Room began as the cast, wearing red and black, slowly got up from their seats in the audience and started stumbling onto the stage. Alex Davis '15, Samantha Laney '17, Shaquan Perkins '14, Jamie Perutz '13 and Jess Plante '16 fell, tumbled and rolled on the floor in pain, making whimpering sounds that were hard to hear.

The play, written and directed by Grace Fosler '14, takes on the topic of animal cruelty as it cycles through a diverse array of cases of animal abuse, most of which portrayed the victims as human-like, speaking to the audience and giving them insight into their perspectives. 

Following the opening silent scene, Perkins performed a monologue in which he glorified show business even while noting its hardships. Only halfway through the show did it become apparent that Perkins was playing an elephant named Benjamin, who was describing his experiences in the circus. As Perkins noted in the talkback after the show, his character was clearly suffering from something resembling Stockholm syndrome. Perkins said that his character's "mind is warped to think that these things, [the ways in which the trainers treated their animals] are okay." 

In another scene, Jamie Perutz '13, who now works in arts administration in Boston, gave an amazing portrayal of an overly-excited and enthusiastic animal tester. Before testing her subject, Perutz interacted with the audience by asking them to raise their hands if they used certain household products: Dove, Listerine, Febreeze and Neutrogena were a few named. As hands slowly and uncertainly raised, it became apparent how many commonplace goods are actually products of animal testing. Perutz then tested various chemicals on Plante, who was playing a rabbit. Plante skillfully portrayed a petrified and indignant subject and her shrieks of pain when the "chemicals" were administered shook the room. 

The show ended with a scene that mirrored the opening as the actors tumbled back onstage. However, this time, Caley Chase '15, who was dressed in white from head to toe and had her face covered in a veil, rose from the audience where she had been sitting for the entirety of the show. As she walked on stage, she one-by-one started to lift the performers to their feet. Some stumbled but Chase's gentle touch brought them back to life and they started to dance. 

In the talkback, Fosler commented on Chase's role, noting that she wrote Chase's character to represent Gaia, the earth goddess, but also to represent an individual who has capacity to change the situation of abuse. After a heartbreaking show that was often painful to watch, Chase's character gave the audience hope as they left the theater.  

-Emily Wishingrad

*

'All You Need'

As part of the Theater Arts Senior Thesis Festival, Justy Kosek '14 wrote and starred in All You Need, a compelling and emotional play that explores the theme of love as a double-edged sword: a force which Kosek, in an interview with the Justice, describes as both "creative and destructive." As the script had never before been produced, it provided ample opportunity for artistic exploration.

The actors therefore had the unique opportunity to frame their characters without preconceptions. Zachary Marlin '15, who played Young Adam, the childhood version of the protagonist's father, explained in an interview with the Justice that "part of the draw of being in the show was that [he] was creating this character that nobody else had played before so [he got] to really sort of meld it in [his] own way." In contrast with established productions that have already been staged by theater groups, Marlin and other actors were able to define the preconception of who their characters were by using their own creative license.

Kosek's position acting as David, the young protagonist, instead of serving in a directorial role developed the production beyond its original vision. "It was totally different, and in a really great way," said Kosek when asked how the final product compared with his earlier expectations. "It was like a big stew that [the designers, cast members and directors] all put their own spices into." Jonathan Young MFA '14 served as the director, bringing substantial experience in directing from his undergraduate education. Although Young and Kosek collaborated closely, Kosek explained that he had to consciously step back from a managerial position to allow Young to direct. 

The original script also provided the opportunity to confront topics that have been uncommon in Brandeis theater. Marlin explained with gratitude that he was able to "explore such themes as suicide or love among teenagers because those are things that undergraduates go through all the time here, and it's really neat to see them play out on stage and also have the chance to act that out on stage." Kosek's decision to write about these topics and stage them in detail helped bring these new themes to life. 

The production deftly juxtaposed themes against each other. Notably, a scene of David excitedly preparing for a school dance to a soft jazz tune that was simultaneously staged against a muted but violent confrontation between his two parents, resulting in both their deaths, embodied the ideals of David's young love against his parents' failed marriage. Such contrast permeated the play, demonstrating both the strengths and dangers of love.

-Phil Gallagher

*

'Necessary Targets'

Though the campus was abuzz over one work by American writer and activist Eve Ensler this weekend-The Vagina Monologues-another of the writer's lesser-known, but equally impactful works was also being performed. For her senior thesis, Lizzy Benway '14 directed a production of Ensler's play Necessary Targets, which engages with feminism from a much different perspective than the Monologues. In her director's note in the show's program, Benway writes: "This piece begins before it was even written, when a daring young woman chose to follow a gut feeling halfway around the world to meet with women affected by the tragedies in Bosnia." Featuring a cast of seven women, the production delves into each character's experiences through wartime and being driven from their homes. 

Necessary Targets begins with an American psychologist, J.S., who decides, in a sweep of professional ladder-climbing, savior-complex gusto, to venture abroad to help those less fortunate than her. She takes on an assistant, Melissa, who specializes in war conditions and is in the process of writing a book about women in wartime, as a guide for her trip. As J.S. and Melissa, Zo? Golub-Sass '16 and Jacquelyn Drozdow '15, respectively, developed a fearless and emotionally symbiotic chemistry from the very first scene, which begins and ends with the two raising their voices at each other. 

The women that J.S. and Melissa meet on their journey have been driven from their homes in Bosnia and displaced-some with their families, and some alone, after their families were brutally killed by soldiers. The women, Zlata (Sarah Brodsky '15), Jelena (Lisa Galperin '14), Azra (Jade Garisch '15), Seada (Ramona Wright '17) and Nuna (Aliza Sotsky '15) were each embodied by their actors perfectly, as the nuances of each one's experiences shone through their performances. 

Through a succession of many short scenes and active set changes, the hour-and-a-half long performance kept the audience's rapt attention the whole time. The trauma that each of the women experienced prior to where the play begins unites them as they start to feel safe enough to share their pain with each other. At one point, Melissa finds a way to tell J.S. that their work matters, and that they have, indeed, made a difference, saying: "These women need an outlet for their rage and despair. We are their necessary targets."

-Rachel Hughes

*

'MICHAEL BROKOWSKI'

Stories about change, philosophy, loss, firsts-these are the things that shape a person's life. Listening to the stories of our friends and families tells us who they truly are. For his senior thesis, Levi Squier '14 took this idea to his cast and devised a play about their lives. He worked with Steven Kline '14, Charlie Madison '15, Melanie Pollock '14 and Page Smith '17 to create a cohesive collection of their memories, and the result was nothing less than hilarious.

The final product, called MICHAEL BROKOWSKI, was created and directed by Squier and assistant directed by Haley Bierman '14. Their phenomenal sense of theatrical pacing combined with the performers' impeccable comedic timing made these stories affect each audience member. Each performer's scene was uniquely heartfelt, but Madison's also stood out as especially comedic. His story was about a series of awkward "firsts"-first kiss and first time specifically. As the lights went up, Madison stood behind a piano, singing and talking about his ideal first kiss. But as his fantasy ended, he played a cacophonous melody and laughed, as he said, "not even close." The rest of the scene in which left the audience doubled over in laughter as Squier and Kline acted out what really happened. In every scene those two acted, their stage chemistry stole the show. No matter if they were playing best friends, boyfriends or brothers, their energy and comedic timing raised the energy of the production.

When it was Squier's turn to take the stage, he finally told the story of Michael Brokowski, a friend from high school. He captivated the audience with his energetic retelling of the time Michael was hit by a car and survived. His performance may have been short, but by the end the presence of Michael Brokowski hung in the theater. Within just one scene, Squier was able to make the audience understand someone far away and, ultimately, himself.

MICHAEL BROKOWSKI excelled in every way, The simple but functional use of the space, the perfect pacing and the combination of humorous and serious scenes tied together the personal coming-of-age story compilation. From start to finish, the piece was nothing but honest, even at the most ridiculous parts. Because "If the facts get in the way of what's really true," said Squier in the final scene, "I change them."

-Rachel Liff

*

'Make Me A Song' 

The lights came up on a simple set consisting of only four black chairs, a couple of big, black blocks and a piano. This week, the Laurie Theater welcomed Make Me A Song, Jason Dick's '14 senior thesis to the stage. Although the stage appeared humble, the magic created made up for it. The show is what is called a "song cycle," a series of songs with a common theme or a thread, as opposed to a traditional, plot-driven musical. In the case of Make Me A Song, that common thread was music written by William Finn. Under the brilliant direction of Samantha Gordon '14 and the skilled musical direction of Elan Wong '15, the talented cast of Caley Chase '16, Chris D'Agostino '17, Marlee Rosenthal '14 and Dick took the stage by storm and delivered a production that left the audience wanting more.

Performing a song cycle is risky; it is very easy for a collection of songs with no plot to fall flat. Fortunately, because of the combination of Gordon's hilarious blocking (the way that the actors used the stage) and light choreography and the cast's adept musical abilities, the production was able to keep its audience captivated. The cast danced around the stage, at one point even putting on red feather boas and playing around with them. One of the most impressive parts of the cycle was Wong's accompaniment throughout. 

He ceaselessly played through the entire duration of the production, stopping only to once get up and pretend to swing a bat in a song. The choice to integrate the pianist's voice into ensemble numbers, as well as occasionally assigning him characters, was great-Wong proved that he is a man of many talents-and his accompaniment was flawless.

There were portions of songs in which the piano dropped out and the actors sang a cappella for a few seconds, such as in the number "Heart and Music." The fact that the performers were always on-key when the piano came back in is another testament to their immense talent as an ensemble. The group's harmonies were unwaveringly correct, quite a feat considering the immensely challenging nature of the music in this song cycle.

Make Me A Song was an absolute delight to experience. Even though there were so many places where this production could have taken a turn for the worse, this cast and production team really proved to be superiorly skilled in creating a masterpiece.

-Carly Chernomorets