Senior Showcase features talents of current theater students
By Christopher DaCosta
The "Senior Theater Showcase" opened to audiences in the intimate Fess Parker Studio Theatre last Friday. Sarah Grojean, Joey Jalalian, Christy McIntosh and Danielle Perata, all senior theater majors, saw almost four years worth of effort pay off in the culmination of their theater degrees.
"The senior showcase was very much our production and there is a huge sense of pride and accomplishment in our work," said Grojean.
Overseen by "Showcase" supervisor Professor Aldo Billingslea, the production was coordinated mostly by the efforts of the students, giving them license to make this show entirely their own.
The process began last fall when the four women sat down to sift through countless pieces and determine which ones were right for the show.
"We ended up spending practically half the fall quarter just narrowing down and choosing our pieces," McIntosh said. "In the end, though, it was really gratifying."
The women primarily drew their scenes from an assortment of theatrical genres they had covered throughout their undergraduate career in the theater department, resulting in a diversely entertaining show.
"I became involved in things I never thought I would do; I ran costume crew and I stage-managed two different one-acts," said Jalalian of her experience in the theater department.
In comparison to rigid, single-focused conservatory programs around the country, the performing arts circuit at Santa Clara is a comprehensive experience which allows students to concentrate on many areas of production.
"At Santa Clara we are encouraged to be involved in as many aspects of theater that we want," Grojean said. "I never had to choose only acting, only dancing, or only tech; I was given a huge variety of opportunities because I could be strongly involved in each discipline within the theater arts."
This non-restrictive approach will have a profound impact on the soon-to-be graduates, giving them versatility in a notoriously competitive field.
Jalalian doesn't intend to immerse herself in the field right away. "I can't imagine stopping my education right now, I feel like there is so much more I want to learn and do," she said. Jalalian will continue her education in pursuit of a masters degree in fine arts.
A recent experience instructing young children helped rouse Jalalian's interest in possibly pursuing a university teaching career. However, she would like to act professionally in both film and on stage.
Grojean, who is double majoring with political science, has been acting as long as she can remember and would like to make the arts a national agenda.
"Not only do I love doing theater but I feel that it's invaluable to our society - it makes people aware of other cultures and other influences. I would like to make arts a priority in this country," she said.
Grojean intends to pursue live theater performance as well as her masters in arts advocacy and cultural diplomacy.
McIntosh also hopes to get her masters after working on the extremely popular musical revue, "Beach Blanket Babylon." She plans to pursue live theater performance in New York.
Despite "Showcase" being one of a series of conclusions for these actors' undergraduate careers, it is the introduction to realizing their ambitions.