From Feb. 3-5, Sock & Buskin and the Tempest Theatre presented “New Playwrights Fest,” a collection of one act plays. The plays that were presented were all written, directed and acted out by Elizabethtown College students. Usually happening every semester after the playwriting course in the theatre department, this is the first time that the fest has happened since the academic theatre department was dissolved. Together, Sock & Buskin, the theatre club on Etown College’s campus, and Main Stage Productions helped make the fest possible, while also raising money to help enrich the power of theatre and performance on campus.

For the “New Playwrights Fest,” a total of five plays were chosen. “Book It!,” written by first-year Antonia Raimondo and directed by senior Ingrid Peura, was based on Raimondo’s experiences volunteering and being caught in the crossfire of two sisters who never stopped arguing.

“Mirror, Mirror,” written by junior Lindsay McCommons and directed by sophomore Madison “Rocky” Stewart, is about two sisters who are polar opposites who envy each other and how they’re viewed by their parents.

“PowerPoint Politics,” written by junior Judas Foster and directed by first-year Sarah Jakubowski, takes a look at three college students who are trying to collaborate together on a group project, and who don’t necessarily see eye to eye.

“The Wall,” written by junior Mackenzie Pollachek and directed by Judas Foster, is all about a man who inherits his grandmother’s old house, where he becomes increasingly more concerned about one peculiar wall.

“Wizard House,” written by sophomore Trevor Hohman and directed by senior Emma Mesko, was written and based on Homan’s experiences at an Airbnb. In the play, a father and his daughter stay at an odd house, running into an old man who claims that his house is magic. 

As mentioned, all five plays were entirely written, directed and acted out by students, who interpreted and brought each other’s stories to life.

One of the playwrights and directors from the weekend was Judas Foster. Foster talked about the difficulties of writing a play as well as directing one. “As a playwright, I was focused more on getting my story across, making sure my characters were consistent, making sure that I…reached my goal of the story,” Foster said. “As a director, I had the distinct advantage of being one of the playwrights, hearing all of the plays during the drafting process. As a director, looking at a completed draft of a work, I was allowed to fully let myself get immersed in the story and envision how certain scenes go, and being able to translate my vision onto the stage with the help of some actors is wonderful, a wonderful experience.”

While “New Playwrights Fest” was one of the exciting theatre productions happening on Etown’s campus this semester, it certainly won’t be the last. For those interested, the Honors Theatre Society on campus is putting on their annual “Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids Cabaret” on Feb. 24, where they’ll be raising money to help find a cure for AIDS. Towards the end of March, Sock & Buskin is putting on their play called “Rhinoceros,” which is an absurdist play about a French town overrun by rhinoceroses.

For Foster, being able to help keep theatre and the arts alive is important. In fact, being able to help keep them alive right here on their own campus means a lot. As Foster said, “Theatre is full of community.”