The Marquette University Players Society (MUPS) is getting ready for its first play of the year, “Fire Exit.”
The play—written by Stacie Lents—tells the story of Westfield High School in the aftermath of a fire. After the tragedy, the students gather together, sharing their theories on what caused the incident. As the story unfolds, they learn the truth is far more complicated than any one of them could have imagined.
The show is being produced by MUPS, a student-led theater group where students direct, act and produce their own shows. The society offers all Marquette students—whether or not they are theatre arts majors—the opportunity to participate.
Kendall Syslack, a sophomore in the College of Communication, is directing the show. Auditions were held on Oct. 28 in Straz Tower Theatre, where actors performed two monologues in 15 minutes followed by an interview with Syslack.
“The cast has been great,” Syslack said. “I’ve never directed my peers before, and everyone has been so flexible with my vision for the show.”
The cast is halfway through their rehearsals, which started on Oct. 30. Syslack said, as a new director, the process taught her the importance of trusting her actors when it comes to making her vision come to fruition. She spoke of an instance when an actor suggested ending his monologue on the floor.
“At first, I was a little hesitant, I didn’t see it going that way. But then I took a step back and said, ‘Go for it, if that’s what you think your character should do,'” Syslack said. “It’s important to give them space to make their characters their own.”
Syslack believes directing is a collaborative task, and while she handles the organization and blocking, she often trusts her actors to portray their characters as they see fit. She acted in “Fire Exit” herself in high school and liked how the play gave equal opportunity for all actors in the production.
“I love the show because it’s short and condensed, and every character is a lead,” Syslack said. “Every character has their own contribution to the play and it’s not just one person’s story, it’s all of [theirs].”
Elisabeth Draper— a first-year in the School of Education—plays Jenks in “Fire Exit. She’s appreciated Syslack’s approach to directing.
“Kendall stated she didn’t want this just to be her show,” Draper said. “She wanted to work with us and really hear out our ideas and the thoughts we had on the project as a whole, which is very different from many productions I’ve been part of, where the director runs the show.”
“Fire Exit” deals with themes of friendships, facades and the consequences of tragedy. Draper said that, while “Fire Exit” is technically a comedy, she hopes audiences will be able to uncover the show’s deeper themes and see how people can come together in a time of loss.
“I hope the audience really takes away that many people, specifically students of all ages, put on faces to cover up their stresses, whether it be school, family or friend-related stress,” Draper said. “As a society, we need to pay more attention to these students before the tragedy strikes.”
So far, through the first four rehearsals, Draper has enjoyed getting to know her cast mates and her character alike.
“This cast is truly an amazing group to work with,” Draper said. “What makes it so unique is that it ranges from people who do theater consistently with the program, [to] people who don’t, and they are all truly wonderful people who are there because they are willing to put in the work and create a great show.”
“Fire Exit” will be performed at Straz Theatre on Nov. 17-18 at 7:30 p.m. The show is free to the public.
This article was written by Allison Scherquist, she can be contacted at [email protected]
