Two Penn State Berks students are doing research by traveling to New York City to work as a costume designer and sound technician on a play directed by a faculty member.
Peter Campbell, assistant professor of theatre, directs a play every year as the literary manager of a production company called The Laboratory for International Theatre Exchange. This year, in celebration of the playwright's 100th birthday, he is directing a production of three short plays by Nobel-prize winner Samuel Beckett: "Play," "Not I" and "Catastrophe," which will run from May 30 to June 4 at the Chocolate Factory Theater, an old factory converted into a playhouse in Long Island City.
Campbell saw this production as an excellent opportunity to get students involved in live theatre and to expose them to the world of professional theatre within the context of a manageable research project. He had worked with both students on campus productions and wanted an opportunity to take students out of the classroom and into the real-world theatre environment.
Emily Edelstein, 23, a junior majoring in global studies, is the costume designer and Deanna Biase, 18, a first-year student majoring in anthropology and African studies, is the sound technician. Both Edelstein and Biase worked with Campbell on the campus production of "Tartuffe" last fall. Edelstein also designed costumes for "I Hate Hamlet" in the spring of 2005 and "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" in April.
It was Edelstein's love of working with textiles that drew her to the costume designer position on campus productions. She explains that her mother taught her to sew at an early age because she always had long arms and wanted to alter her clothing. In fact, she began her college career going to art school to study weaving and textiles, but was afraid that she would lose her love for the art by having it critiqued and graded.
When she took an honors theatre class in her first semester at Penn State Berks, she soon became interested in putting her sewing skills to work for the campus production of "I Hate Hamlet," which was directed by Cleo House Jr., assistant professor of theatre. House then recommended Edelstein to Campbell for his campus production of "Tartuffe," and he was so impressed with her talent, that he asked if she would be interested in working on costume design for a professional production.
"This is what happens when you get involved in theatre at Penn State Berks," said Edelstein. "If I had attended a college with a theatre degree program, I may not have had the same opportunities to get involved in productions since I'm not a theatre major. It has given me a nice balance."
When asked how costume design differs in a professional production, Edelstein explained that it's almost like completing an internship in theatre. Since this particular production is controlled by the Beckett trust, there are regulations on many aspects of the play, including costume design. To add to the challenge, she is working with an extremely low budget and has been visiting Goodwill stores, malls and a nonprofit costume company in New York for costume ideas. What she cannot find in a store, she will create herself.
Meanwhile, Biase is facing similar challenges as the sound technician on the Beckett production. Although the low budget of the production makes her job more challenging, she is thoroughly enjoying the experience.
"It's a dream come true being a part of a New York production," Biase said.
Biase has a history of working in theatre, serving as vice president of the Thespian Troupe and playing the lead in the musical production of "Anything Goes" at her high school in Somerville, N.J. She spent her summers working with kids in a summer theatre camp.
Biase has been involved in dance and choir all her life. Biase got involved with theatre at Penn State Berks when she took an honors theatre course taught by Campbell. She took on the role of assistant director for the campus production of "Tartuffe" and soon she was helping out with the sound on the play.
When asked why she was interested in the sound technician position, Biase explained that she wanted to experience the technical side of theatre since she had always performed in plays in the past. "Whether it's acting on stage or running the sound board from the back of the audience, being involved in theatre is the one thing I love more than anything else in the entire world," Biase saud.
Campbell has been working with both students on the production for some time, discussing costumes with Edelstein and working on sound issues such as music and transitions with Biase since the fall semester of 2005.
"I have always tried to give students real-world experience, which in the arts is often difficult because of the limited professional opportunities in the area," Campbell said. "Using students is a natural extension of my creative and teaching work, as the theatre is an art form in which everyone, from the actors to the audience, is always, in the best sense, learning."