Portrait of an Artist as a Theatre Minor (or, Five Questions for Sarah Shuren)

We wanted to get to know more about our Theatre Minors, so we are asking them each five questions. We asked student Sarah Shuren the questions and here’s what she told us.

What do you love about theatre? I’ve been involved in all sorts of art forms since I was a kid, and theatre pulls together a bunch of different aspects from all these other forms of art and combines them into a separate entity. I love being able to work with all these different art forms at once as well as experiencing the atmosphere around theatre. Every time I went to see a play or performed in one I was always so invested in the experience, it was always so moving and I could always relate to what was going on in some way. Theatre is a way to get a bunch of people together and reach out to others and help change lives, and I love getting to be a part of it

What's one show you would love to be a part of one day?One show I would love to be a part of would be HAIR. It’s my favorite musical, I’ve gone to see it multiple times. The music is one of my favorite part of the show, the costumes are another. The hippie generation is something I’ve always felt very passionate about and I’ve always loved learning about it. Being a part of a musical that was written then to make a point about how the country was going in the height of a war that was so controversial is something I would just love to do.

Sarah Shuren, fourth from left, in her senior play.

What inspired you to become a Theatre Minor?
I had been in my high school’s theatre department for six years, and when I went to college I missed it (in the photo I am in my last play senior year at my high school. My arms are crossed and I'm making a face as my character has seen a ghost and no one believes her). I decided to take a few theatre classes my second semester at Bloomsburg to get myself back into it. After another semester I decided to add theatre on as a minor instead of a second major so I could still graduate on time while still being able to be involved in the whole process.

What is your major? What made you first interested in it? My major is Mass Communications, and I originally picked it because I thought I wanted to be involved with radio. But as I got taking more and more classes I found that I enjoyed video editing more. Getting to go through a whole mess of footage and finding the best shots and arranging them all to tell a story is a lot of fun. It’s also very rewarding to see the final product of spending hours on end editing together a short clip.

If you were a fruit or vegetable, what would you be? If I were a fruit of vegetable I would probably be a strawberry. Strawberries are more of a spring/early summer fruit, and that’s my favorite time of year. It’s just starting to get warm and everything starts turning green, it’s just so beautiful that time of year. Strawberries are also my favorite fruit, so there’s some bias there.

To read about other Theatre Minors.

Five Questions for Kate Mochnacz, Director

Kate Mochnacz is one of the directors of the Original 10-Minute Plays by Student Playwrights (April 1, 2, 6 & 7). We asked her five questions. 

Kate as Julie (the one in the pink onesie with the pigtails)
with the cast of The Nosemaker's Apprentice

What got you first interested in theatre?
I saw my first Broadway show when I was seven.  Five minutes into the show, I fell in love with theatre.  I then saw the same Broadway show two month later and, I was much more observant of the show and the atmosphere.  I knew then that I wanted to be on stage and acting. As I started performing, I starting learning so much more about theatre and the different roles you could be a part of, which led me to other roles in a production such as assistant stage manager and director.

What's the most exciting or challenging aspect of directing for you?
I think that the most exciting aspect of directing is watching the actors make breakthroughs on their character or the play in general.  It’s so exciting to see them finally understand what they want from a scene or why their character is using this specific way to get them to their end goal.  I think that the most challenging aspect of directing is communication.  It’s difficult to get what you want across while still letting your actors learn and flourish (refer back to the most exciting aspect of directing).

Which play are you directing and what do you love about the play?
I’m lucky enough to direct two plays for the Original Ten Minute Plays. Pastime, written by Will Olsen, has been a pleasure to work on and I love how the play shows that some people are capable of change, while others are not. Dink, written by Titus O’Neil, has also been a pleasure working on and I love the lines that only make sense in the context of the play!

What's it like to direct a brand new play?
It’s been a lot of teamwork, a lot of work, and a lot of fun.  It’s definitely what I expected and it’s been such a great learning process.  The shows are constantly changing, and it’s been a lot of fun working with my playwrights to tell the story they want to tell.

If you were a fruit or vegetable, what would you be? Why?
In a previous blog post (Backstage with the BU Players: Five Questions for Kate Mochnacz, Actor) I said I would be a strawberry.  I stand by my decision since I still love strawberries.

Kate Mochnacz is a sophomore majoring in Early Childhood/Special Education with a Concentration in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education as well as Theatre with an Integrated Emphasis.  The Original Ten Minute Plays marks her third and fourth directing credits, previously directing Finger Food (An Evening of Ten Minute Plays; BU Directing Class) and Game Night! The Musical (Hillsborough Shorts; Hillsborough High School Theatre Department) which she also wrote.  In her free time, Kate balances her multiple majors, clubs, social life (insert laughter here) and questions her sanity.

Three Questions for Courtney Dunn, Playwright

Courtney Dunn is the author of The Opposition, featured in the Original 10-Minute Plays by Student Playwrights as part of the BU Players 2014-15 season. We asked Courtney three questions.

A brief summary of The Opposition: The Opposition brings into question the opinions of two philosophy professors, Dr. Gerald Packer and Dr. Andrew Reinhardt, who find themselves at odds with one another as a result of the endurance of the Vietnam War. The play highlights the conflicting opinions and emotions that festered throughout society as a result of this highly controversial time in U.S. history. 

How did you first become interested in theatre?

I became interested in theatre after taking a scriptwriting class at BU in the 2014 fall semester. Before that time, I had never attempted to write a play nor did I have any interest in doing so. The class inspired me to pursue this new field of creative writing, and before long, I found myself not only writing plays in my free time but actually searching for future playwriting opportunities outside of BU.

What inspired you to write this play?

I was inspired to write this play after reading about a BU philosophy professor who was told that his teaching contract might not be renewed due to his opposition of the Vietnam War. 

If you were a fruit or vegetable, which one would you be? 

If I were a fruit or a vegetable, I would be a strawberry, planted by my grandmother, watered and nourished, softly plucked from the stem and cleansed by her hands. My family members are a big part of my life and success, raising me to be who I am and giving me the necessary support along the way.  

Courtney Dunn is a senior, psychology and English dual major. Her plans after graduating are to attend graduate school and pursue a career in English studies/creative writing.

Five Questions for Kate Mochnacz, Actor

Kate Mochnacz is playing the role of Julie in The Nosemaker's Apprentice. We asked her five questions. 

Kate Mochnacz as Hecate
in the BU Players production of Macbeth, Fall 2014

What made you first interested in acting?

I saw my first Broadway show when I was seven.  My mom had planned to buy our tickets at TKTS, with the hopes of seeing Beauty and the Beast.  However, by the time we made it to the front of the line, there weren't two seats next to each other, and mom my didn't really want to let her seven year old daughter sit by herself.  I was given the choice between seeing Thoroughly Modern Millie or 42nd Street and choose Thoroughly Modern Millie because that name was more fun to say.  Five minutes into the show, I fell in love with theatre.  A short two months later, I was back in the city, this time with my mom, my brother, my grandma, my aunt, and my two cousins.  Again we tried to get tickets for a certain play (I forget which, but it’s not important to the story), but were unsuccessful.  I managed to talk my brother and cousin Max into seeing Thoroughly Modern Millie.  This time, I was much more observant of the show and the atmosphere.  I knew then that I wanted to be on stage and acting.

What do you find interesting or appealing about The Nosemaker’s Apprentice?

I love the script.  As the Little Girl, I really get to listen and focus on the story of the script.  It’s fun at every rehearsal to listen to the story that my fellow actors are telling.  I also love that every time we rehearse that I find something new about the story and the script.

What is the most challenging aspect of acting in this particular play?

Not laughing.  The show is funny and for most of the show, I’m listening to the story.  However, I can’t laugh, so that’s definitely a challenge for me.

What would be your ideal role or roles in any play or musical?

I have a long list dream roles and I've been fortunate enough to have been able to cross off a few of them since I started acting.  A few roles that are still on my list would be Little Red in Into the Woods and Emily Webb in Our Town.

Kate Mochnacz in her natural form
(a princess who loves cats)

If you were a fruit or vegetable, what would you be? Why?

I would be a strawberry because I love strawberries.  They’re also in season between April and August which is my favorite time of the year: April-June because the weather is nice, July because it’s my birthday month, and August because I occasionally have free time!

Kate Mochnacz is a sophomore majoring in Early Childhood/Special Education with a Concentration in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education as well as Theatre with an Integrated Emphasis.  In her free time, Kate balances her multiple majors, clubs, social life (insert laughter here) and questions her sanity.