Fraternity works with audience to discover the meaning of love
By Alyssa Naimoli
Alpha Psi Omega (APO) students and their audiences will be part of a developing work when “But I Will See You Again” is presented in Sweigart Auditorium Oct. 24.
The show is “a series of vignettes that examine love in the past, present and future as five couples search for their soul mates through time and space,” said Lauren Wilson, junior arts administration major and public relations chair of Alpha Psi Omega.
The couples face the possibility of reincarnation and the search for their soul mate through an array of moments in the past, present, and future. The show presents an in-depth look into what it takes to be reunited with one’s soul mate after being reincarnated and looks into whether or not reincarnation is real.
The show is a work in progress, as student actors and a student director work directly with the playwright to change and grow as the script goes through drafts until its final copy.
“This will be a staged reading,” said Wilson. “The students will work directly with the playwright.”
Because of constant scene re-writes and script changes that will “keep the actors on their toes,” according to senior musical theater major and director of the show, Samantha Ricchiuti, the show is constantly evolving. It has only four rehearsals and only a week between the show’s auditions and the premiere on Oct. 24. This will keep the show fresh and even more original as each vignette brings a story to the audience.
APO, the co-ed honors theater fraternity, was looking to put on some shows to give members the opportunity to audition or work on a production that differs from an in-class or main stage performance when Ricchiuti decided to reach out to a playwright, specifically the playwright of “But I Will See You Again.”
“When he told me that he was working on a new piece, I asked him if he would be interested in workshopping it,” said Ricchiuti. “We both agreed that it would be so much more educational for everyone involved to work on a piece that is in development as opposed to an already finished piece.”
The show is a production that many have not seen before because of its nature, quick production, preparation time, and the way in which the audience will see the show unfold. The individual vignettes will give the audience glimpses into each story and each message the performance portrays.
The show will run for two nights, Oct. 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Sweigart. APO wants to welcome students to get involved with the show and watch the unique experience unfold, as the performance begins.
“Keep an open mind and just go with it. If you totally give in to the stories, you will see how beautiful the piece is and how universal it is,” said Ricchiuti. “Love is universal. Rejection is universal. Searching for a higher meaning and deeper purpose in life is something every person on Earth can relate to.”
published in the 10/22/14 edition.
