On Feb. 6 to 8, the University of Central Missouri Division of Theatre and Dance presented “Love(Im)Perfectly,” a series of student-directed one-act plays. Performances included “The Gulf” directed by Quinn Allen, “F#king Art” directed by Molly Jones, “Emergency Contact” directed by Kyp Bellis and “Boxed In” directed by Jake Collins.
Each of the plays in “Love(Im)Perfectly” shares a theme of self-discovery through the characters’ experiences and relationships.
“The Gulf” follows two main characters, Kendra, played by Raegan Weber, and Betty, played by Alea Ware, who are in a failing relationship while fishing on board a boat at the Alabama Gulf. They want to keep their relationship afloat but their own personal beliefs and faults get in the way.
When it comes to directing, Allen shared his proudest moments during his experience of bringing the characters to life.
“I really enjoy the final minutes of this play. There is so much raw emotion that the cast brings to life in this play,” Allen said. “More than anything, I am so proud of the team I had to work with in this production. I have to give credit to my technical director, Molly Blackburn, who helped bring this short script to life through her creative lighting, scenic, sound and costume design.”
Weber plays Kendra in “The Gulf”. Stepping into Kendra was a challenge but Weber made it work.
“For Kendra, the hardest thing was trying to find the soft side of her, especially towards the end of the play,” Weber said. “I see some of myself in Kendra, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. That’s the fun part of theatre though: the multifaceted characters and storylines.”
The next play, “F#king Art”, is about Art, played by Ayden Christensen, who is dying from throat cancer. Gal, the privileged “hot girl” he used to go to high school with, visits him with plans to get intimate. While the visit doesn’t go as expected, the two go on a journey of personal discovery during their conversation.
Hannah Vath stars as Gal. Vath puts effort into understanding the depths of her character when she feels moments of self-doubt.
“I have felt better about this character and the way that I portray her than some in the past but there’s always some doubt. When I feel this way, I usually dig deeper into my analysis and try to find other ways to connect with the character,” Vath said. “I like to make playlists, Pinterest boards and write some level of backstory. Those will usually lead me to be able to answer any question I have about the character when that doubt starts.”
