Second Annual Black Box Blitz a Roaring Success

By Taylor Andrews

Last Saturday, the second annual Black Box Blitz was held in Stevens Theatre, presented by the Owl and Nightingale Players. This mini-festival of sorts is a new tradition at Gettysburg College in which students write, rehearse, and perform a series of brief plays (about five to ten minutes each) all within the span of a week. The plays were written based off the prompt “Who died and made you king?” and the plays, directors, and actors were all selected at random.

The blitz began with “Sons of Bishops,” written by MJ Roche and directed by Riley Park. It was just the right piece to start out with, and the audience was beside itself within the first few minutes, won over by the hugely characterized chess pieces and their passionate exchange as they approached defeat. Perhaps one of the most interesting parts about this play, or in fact all the plays, was how great the cast was, especially since the actors for each show were drawn at random. It featured Amanda Jackiewicz, Zachary Kishbaugh, Morgan Marianelli, and Jessie Pierce.

The next performance was “The Black Room,” written by Sarah Connelly and directed by John Grimsley. It starred Kate Forton, who dependably delivered a powerful performance as a confused mother, and Austin Clark, who played her son. Forton’s stage presence is riveting, and her anguish was an interesting contrast to the more lighthearted performances.

“Cold Pizza” was the third short play of the night, and it could not have been conceived by anyone other than Riley Park. This play had absolutely no dialogue whatsoever, yet still accurately depicted the intricate and sometimes very silly social dynamics of men and women. Directed by Jacob Brintzenhoff, the show revolved around three girls (Beth Carlson, Veronica Rosenberger, and Alex Clint), who were each engrossed in their own independent activities, while all still yearning for the last slice of pizza. For a good few minutes, the audience watches the girls type, write, and play guitar, before one by one they attempt to nab the last slice and are very subtly diverted with a cough or a loud, crashing chord. The punchline comes when a boy, (played by Harry Paterra), casually strolls in and without a second thought grabs the slice and eats it in front of them. He then sets down a single can of soda, and the girls exchange a dangerous look, bringing the audience to hysterics. This brief and understated scene was insightful and hilarious, and though it did take a few long minutes to get to that point, the patience required was well worth it.

The following play was “Hippos and Cretins,” written by Steve Krzyzanowski and directed by Ann Sasala. The show featured Kris McCormick and Sarah Turner, who were discussing the show that they had come to see. McCormick and Turner worked well together and successfully brought to life their characters’ antagonistic yet humorous relationship.

“Brother’s Parallel” by Emily Francisco was next, directed by Ellen Eikenhorst and performed by Ben Muller, Lisa Del Padre, and Maddie Price. This play focused on the relationship between two high schoolers who had dated and the subsequent degradation of their friendship. The play also tied family problems into its plot, making it one of the more detailed and complex of the performances.

It feels a little unfair that the show ended with Channelle Bryant-Harris’s “Happily Ever After That,” since Tori Reynolds would have stolen the show no matter where she was in the line-up, and putting her last only made it certain that she would be what you remembered. She starred as Princess Aurora (‘Rora for short), and she opened up her piece by running onto the stage singing and smiling so hard it  might have hurt a little, and the whole audience was instantly smitten. Bryant-Harris was all twitchy, manic charm, and her boundless energy and immersion in the character was impossible to frown at. She learned from her husband Prince Phillip, played by Steve Krzyzanowski, that she was now to be the queen rather than the princess, since her father-in-law just died. The festival ended on the couple’s happy acceptance of their new roles, and the audience left with smiles on their faces.

The shows were funny, touching, light, and serious, and if nothing else proved that Gettysburg College is harboring an awful lot of talent. For a production thrown together in less than a week, the results were impressive, and certainly highly entertainin