By Gabby Bonds
Elm Staff Writer
Through the nights of Oct. 3, 4, and 5, the Washington College Theatre and Dance Department put on their play “8x10x2,” named so because of its format as eight, 10-minute comedy scenes. It was WC’s second time putting on a play of this nature, hence the “2” in the title, with the first time taking place during the 2019-2020 school year.
Co-directed by Professor Dale Daigle and senior Courtney Poetsch, “8x10x2” fea- tured contributions from WC students across all years as actors, writers, and production staff.
“Everyone in this cast is so dynamic and energetic. They would always bring such good energy to rehearsals and ultimately made this job really easy for me,” Poetsh said.
Although it was her first time directing, Poetsch is no stranger to WC theatre. Having previously acted and worked sound design in two plays, she was excited to try her hand at directing when Professor Daigle reached out to her this summer.
“This format can be challenging for directors and designers,” Poetsch said. “It was a really good creative challenge that I had a lot of fun with.”
Watching the play, it was easy to see how four weeks of hard work and enthusiasm at rehearsals came to life at showtime. The scenes were each unique, featuring arguments between blades of grass, awkward family conversations, and even a few unexpected plot twists. When asked which scene was her favorite, Poetsch said, “That’s like asking me who my favorite child is.”
As a senior soon to graduate, Poetsch looks to the future of WC theatre with hope: “The freshmen came to casting and really just took off. They’re all so talented; I’m excited and hopeful that they will continue to be a part of theatre.”
Freshman Warner Quinn, a standout featured in two of the scenes, said, “I make big choices, and I’ve found that they work really well with comedic acting.”
These choices were apparent in his passionate monologues in “The Trapped Lan- guage of Love” and awkward chemistry with fellow freshmen Maya Barkus in “Café D’Automatique,” which both received laughs from the audience.
Coming into this production as a freshman, Quinn was initially nervous, not being sure of how college theater would differ from his experience in high school. However, he found that his nervousness dissipated quickly after rehearsals began and says that “The [WC] theatre students allowed me to open up and have been really inviting into the community.”
The strong bonds built between the actors were obvious throughout the play’s duration, especially considering that each scene began with the cast proudly shouting the name of the scene together.
Junior Jenna Harper, featured in the scene “Go to the Light,” also speaks very highly of her fellow cast and crew members.
“With ‘8x10x2,’ our cast stepped up and took their performances to the next level. Whether it was physical action with their bodies, vocal changes, or comedic timing with the dialogue, it was all from the minds of these terrific actors,” Harper said.
Like Poetsch, Harper looks to the future of WC theatre brightly, expressing her excitement over the young talent featured in this play. Furthermore, as a junior with an upcoming Senior Capstone Experience next year, Harper says, “Let me just say, it will be very difficult choosing my cast and crew with all of these wonderful humans.”
“8x10x2” was a smashing success for WC, featuring weeks of hard work from students of all grades. A great start for the 2024-2025 school year, the theatre is gearing up for an amazing year of productions. Up next is “Middletown,” a directing SCE from senior James Fordi on Nov. 1 and 2.