Howdy, y'all! I'm Alex, a queer and trans student from Tennessee. This year I'm involved with a lot: I'm serving as the Production Manager for the Dartmouth Rude Mechanicals, acting as Social Chair for Amarna, rushing Phi Tau, giving tours on campus, exploring the offerings of the Dartmouth Outing Club, joining Farm Club, getting more involved with the O-Farm and sustainability on campus, and generally enjoying my second year here at Dartmouth!
As a theater-kid-turned-English-major who already loved Shakespeare before taking this class, highlighting this as my favorite class of the term is a no-brainer. This class is completely accessible to anyone who is has never read Shakespeare while still being an engaging class for seasoned Shakespeare enthusiast. Class time is mostly devoted to discussion of the texts, and I feel like I came out of the class with a strengthened ability to analyze the themes present in Shakespeare's works as well as a better comprehension of the nuances of language used in the plays.
Before this class, my experience on the technical side of theater was severely limited. I've been acting onstage for a decade, and even though I knew that productions would be impossible without what goes on behind the scenes, actually learning how to DO what goes on behind the scenes was another experience entirely. THEA 40 is an incredibly fun and informative class, and I can confidently say I have a much more comprehensive understanding of what it takes to make a show come together. And next term, I'll have to opportunity to apply my new knowledge and skills as Production Manager for the Rude Mechanicals, Dartmouth's student-run Shakespeare company! I can't wait!
In this class we read stage plays through various lenses. These lenses comprised a general overview of the different readings of a play necessary in order to get it from script to stage: reading as actors, writers, directors, designers, dramaturgs, etc. I had an amazing time I feel my foundation of theater knowledge has been enhanced by what I learned in this class! I've been able to apply this knowledge as I continue to read and write plays in my spare time.
Anatomical Hearts — My Experience Acting in a Senior Playwriting Thesis
If you are a prospective student who is looking to be involved with theater at Dartmouth, I can assure you that there are a plethora of projects and productions to join every term. And in the spring term, senior theses are often in the works – and that extends to theater major seniors as well.
This past spring term I was honored to perform in the senior playwriting thesis of my friend, Lila Hovey '23. Their thesis project took form as a workshop production of their original play Anatomical Hearts. On the official Hopkins Center for the Arts website, the play is described as "A queer historical dramedy about love, purpose and medicine." The full summary is as follows:
"All Elijah Campbell wants is to make it through his last year at Harvard Medical School without attracting scrutiny—as a trans-masculine person in 1850, the safety of solitude is the best he can hope for. But his quiet loneliness collapses when his life collides with that of the Sharpe siblings. Lucie Sharpe thought her dreams were coming true when she was granted permission to attend lectures at Harvard Medical School, but when the opportunity is snatched away, she'll do anything to get it back. Daniel Sharpe has had his heart crushed and his confidence shattered, but a chance encounter and a rediscovery of his love of art may be enough to let him feel comfortable in his own skin.
They both need Elijah, but will letting people in provide the support and intimacy he's always craved? Or will it prove to him all over again that trust always precedes destruction?"
This summary can be found in its original format at this link.
In addition to the summary above, this article posted on the Dartmouth Faculty of Arts and Sciences page delves into what history inspired the play and includes comments from the playwright about what the play means to them.
And finally, through this blog post, I get to tell you about my experience!
A Scene From Anatomical Hearts
Both senior theses in the theater department this year were performed as what's called a 'workshop production,' as opposed to a full fledged production. This meant the actors were "on book," or had the script in their hand as they performed. The performances still had acting and blocking, costumes, limited (yet effective) set dressing and props, and other minor technical elements like sound design and lighting.
Because Anatomical Hearts wasn't a full production, we just had a brief 3 week rehearsal period. Another interesting thing about the production was that it didn't take place on a stage, but instead in a lecture hall in Steele, the chemistry building. Thematically, this worked very well, because a lot of the play takes place in a Harvard Medical School classroom.
The cast was small, and consisted of both friends who I had already acted with, friends I already knew but hadn't acted with, and new folks that I became fast friends with! Even in the short amount of time, we became a close group!
Finally: In the show, I played Elijah Campbell, one of the main characters. It meant a lot to me, a transmasculine person, to play a transmasculine character written by a transmasculine playwright. To have his story take center stage and for him to be able to find his way to love and acceptance on his own terms – it was exactly the kind of story I needed to hear that term, and I was honored to bring it to life on the stage. It fulfilled me in a way that no other theater experience has, and I hope queer playwrights continue to write and create works like these so that we can continue to see art that represents us well, and gives us the happy endings that we should be allowed.
Overall, being a part of this production is something I'm very thankful for. I'm thankful that the Dartmouth theater department supports student created pieces. I'm thankful to be at Dartmouth and, lastly, I'm grateful to share these experiences with you all through this blog. Thank you so much for reading through to the end of this post, and I hope it's helped you understand a little more about the experience of a queer theater student at Dartmouth.
I have written about being a student worker plenty of times in the past, but I have yet to talk about one of my favorite jobs ever: ticket selling at the Hopkins Center for the Arts.
On Monday, April 8, 2024, a phenomenal total solar eclipse occurred — and we happened to be within the path of totality. As a result, Dartmouth hosted a variety of eclipse-related events on- and off-campus. Find out how I spent the eclipse!
Traditionally, Dartmouth students take three courses during a term, but I decided to take four courses this term! Learn about course load and the academic system at Dartmouth.
