Seniors say goodbye with one-act plays

There might only be one thing harder than getting into
UCLA’s exclusive department of theater: leaving it. Before
they say goodbye, this year’s seniors demonstrated the
strength of their craft in their senior show ““ two one-act
plays by the obscure playwright Pierre Marivaux.

The casts of both performances, made up entirely of seniors,
performed the plays beautifully, moving through dramatic, poignant
and often hilarious, scenes. The show, which ran from June 2 to
June 10, marked one of their last on-stage experiences as
undergraduates at UCLA .

The plays, “Island of Slaves” and “The
Dispute,” deal with love, lust, identity and class. The
actors performed on a circular sand stage and interacted with the
audience that surrounded it.

While Marivaux has mostly been known as a sidekick to the more
famous Moliere, these plays reveal his ability to create complex
relationships between characters that students felt challenged to
portray.

“This was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,”
said fourth-year theater student Courtney Bell. “These are
not easy plays.”

Difficult as the plays are, graduating theater students
appreciated the challenge that came with them, and the opportunity
to develop and display the craft that they have refined during
their time at UCLA.

Bell is sad to leave UCLA but says she is excited about the
bigger and better things that lie beyond graduation.

“I love being in school,” said Bell. “I love
training. But I think I’ve gotten everything out of the
program that I could have.”

As a junior transfer student from the University of Wyoming,
fourth-year theater student Coco Kleppinger is also pleased about
her experience as a UCLA undergraduate, and was pleasantly
surprised at the warmth that she found in the department.

“I imagined UCLA would be much scarier and much more
unfriendly,” she said.

Kleppinger has decided to continue on as a graduate student in
the theater department and looks forward to refining her acting
skills even further.

Both Bell and Kleppinger have found a comfortable home in the
department. They are particularly attached to the class of students
that they have bonded with during their time here, and feel that
their bonds will stand the test of time.

“These people are family now,” said Bell. “I
don’t feel like people will forget about each other. These
are connections that we will have forever.”

The department has also offered the women important
opportunities as actresses.

“UCLA’s a really good program because it allows you
to play different roles. I’ve never been told,
“˜you’re “this” type,'” said
Kleppinger.

In their senior shows, Bell and Kleppinger had the opportunity
to work with their fellow classmates, as well as with guest
director David Bridel.

“David was really incredible at pushing us. He was very
good at identifying our weaknesses. I never felt like I was
alone,” said Kleppinger.

Looking back on their undergraduate education, Bell and
Kleppinger are most grateful for the comprehensive quality of
UCLA’s theater program and faculty.

“Working with great directors has been a milestone for
me,” said Bell. “But the awful ones can teach you just
as much as the great ones.”