By Dominic Rapposelli
Sports Editor
This past weekend on Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20, the Washington College Department of Theatre and Dance showcased “Author of Memories.” The playwriting Senior Capstone Experience from Sam Devlin was a staged reading, meaning it was not a fully produced play, which allowed the script and production itself to take center stage.
The narrative was a retelling of the life of Tamara Petrovskaya-Khalili, Devlin’s namesake. Taking place during World War II, the production is designed to tell a piece of history through Tamara’s personal lens as someone who fled Soviet control during the war.
“World War [II] saw the destruction of a lot of the world’s history and many more things. So remember what you can, tell your stories, and don’t let things be forgotten,” Devlin said.
The play featured lead performances from freshmen Jasmine Schaeffer and Josh Iseminger. Schaeffer portrayed the role of an older Petrovskaya-Khalili, alongside sophomore Jenna Harper, who played a younger version of the character.
Schaeffer is coming off of a lead performance in another SCE, Matthew Brader’s “The Lightning Thief.” While still a major undertaking working two shows so close together, Schaeffer notes the uniqueness of the experience.
“This is my first time doing a staged reading,” Schaeffer said. “One of the biggest differences is that I pretty much stayed put the whole time while with Percy Jackson I was running around everywhere.”
The play also served as an introduction to directing for sophomore Jove Gleason.
“This was my first time directing so I think starting with a more limited production like a staged reading was the perfect introduction,” Gleason said. “The crew and department were really helpful in teaching me what to do while still giving me enough space to work things through on my own.”
The show’s cast additionally featured freshman Juliana Santiago Batista, Elm staff writer sophomore Ella Kozlowski, juniors Evan Merk and Elm student life editor Faith Jarrell, and senior Joshua Torrence. The crew for the show also included first-time dramaturg sophomore Isabelle Farber and stage manager senior Niko Chen.
“Author of Memories” was the final SCE of the 2023-2024 school year for the Department of Theatre and Dance. Although, the production was not the department’s final of the year. This year’s annual dance recital, Dancescape, is set to have several performances on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4.
Photo courtesy of Paul W. Gillespie
Photo Caption: Freshmen Jasmine Schaeffer, Josh Iseminger, and Juliana Santiago Batista, as well as sophomore Jenna Harper, junior Evan Merk, and senior Joshua Torrence during the staged reading.