The Fall 2021 semester saw the triumphant return to the stage for the Mount's theatre program with Everything Will Be Alright, a series of short plays written and performed by alumni, current students, and faculty.
With the COVID-19 pandemic putting the brakes on live performances for nearly two years, James Phillips (right), associate professor of Theatre, was pleased to see the theatre program return to its in-person roots.
During the Summer of 2020, some of Phillips's former and current students workshopped several short plays. "The writing was a way to maintain theatre and community through 2020, but the enticement for the writers was the promise of a fully realized production," Phillips explained.
Everything Will Be Alright featured six short plays that take a look at life during the pandemic, from the mundane to the supernatural.
Hail Mary by Jessica Romaniello, a current Mount junior, follows two tenants living in a cramped apartment building. They form a close relationship by speaking to each other through the thin walls, but things don't end well when one comes down with the virus.
"It means the world to me to be given this opportunity," said Romaniello. "I've loved theatre for such a long time, so to actually be the one who is having their work performed is unreal."
Roommate Bonding Activities by Joe Certa '17 is about two roommates who accidentally summon a demon when trying out a new quarantine time killer. Once the demon arrives, the roommates must confront the issues they've been bottling up.
"I thought of how many of us were stuck inside and spending much more time with our partners, family, and roommates," said Certa. "It was easy for little things to spiral into huge problems. But, this made us actually have to work out the things we might have otherwise ignored."
Phase 47 by Lauren Roberts '10 (formerly Thayer) takes a humorous look at how the world reopened: "Everything was categorized by phases, and every phase was meant to be better than the last," she said. "By the time we enter phase 47, there are so many rules that people can't keep track of them anymore, so everyone wears government issued shock collars."
I, Elizabeth by Rebecca Ferretti '16 (formerly Gordils) is about a man and woman whose wedding plans are up in the air, which causes tension in the relationship. The play was inspired by some real-life events, as Ferretti and her husband, John, had to postpone their own wedding in 2020. Not to worry: the couple, who met in one of Phillips's theatre classes in 2014, were married in September 2021 – with Phillips officiating.
Other short plays in the production included Where Am I? by Lily Chimenti '19 and The Quarantine Book Club by Erin-Therese Vecchi '13.