Director's Showcase

by Travis Rocha

My castmates and I just performed in the Christopher Newport’s annual Director’s Showcase for the Theater Department. The showcase was for the Fundamentals of Directing course, wherein every student is to direct an individual scene with 2-3 people cast in each scene. This time, I was an actor and I had an absolutely amazing time.

My director and scene partner were a joy to work with and our rehearsal time was always filled with opportunity for creativity and lots of laughter. We rehearsed two times a week for almost two months and we made so much progress in that time frame. When it came time for tech week, my scene partner and I were ready to give a great performance – we only had to make sure we bested our nerves. Even though it was only a scene, we’d always laugh that because the part is so small, that puts on all the more pressure to be perfect. In any case, thankfully, the performance went on without a hitch and not just for my scene partner and I. All of the other scenes went over wonderfully and received plenty of applause from a very happy audience.

Choosing to pursue theater in college was a difficult choice. It’s a very intimidating industry and I wasn’t sure how I’d fit in. Though, the Christopher Newport community is so welcoming and supportive that I quickly felt comfortable in this department. I have loved getting to know the other members of the department this semester and am looking forward to meeting many more in the coming years here!