The Queens College Theatre Guild put on their first-ever “Student Play Film Festival,” which was held from February 15 through the 19 at Kings Hall’s Little Theatre.
The festival included five short plays written by QC students, with each ranging from 10 to 30 minutes long. The plays featured were, “Adults and Other Mythical Creatures” by Claude Noriega, “National Pie Day” by Paul DeFilippo, “Malady” by John DeFilippo, “John and Larry” by Aaron Koffsky, and “Jump” by Asher Horovitz.
“I was pleasantly surprised how something exclusively run by Queens College Students was so exquisite,” said attendee Michael Najman, a senior majoring in psychology.
Asher Horovitz, a senior majoring in Media Studies and writer of “Jump,” spoke about his decision to participate in the festival. “I decided to be in the Student Theatre Festival because it was a great opportunity to see my work performed for the first time.”
“Jump” follows a man named Daniel, played by John DeFilippo, who is on the verge of jumping off a building in an attempt to commit suicide until he meets Vivian, played by Casey Mayan, who asks him for a cigarette. Daniel doesn’t have a cigarette, but sits down with Vivian to talk about what is wrong in his life. Just as things start to look up for Daniel over the course of his conversation with Vivian, the play ends with a surprising twist.
“I thought the cast did an amazing job bringing the script to life and I loved the creative choices they made,” Horovitz added.
Marlon Moncrieffe, a graduate from Queens College was in the script “John and Larry” and said he was “grateful to be a part of the cast.”
“Everyone in the cast is so talented and enthusiastic,” Moncrieffe said. “I am ready for another Student Play Festival.”
In fact, another production of a student-written play is in the works. The QC Theatre Guild profited $300 from the festival, funds which will be put towards their next play, “Three Sisters” by Anton Chekhov, which will open from April 26th through the 29th. The Theatre Guild will be holding auditions for the play on March 5th and March 7th.
“Special Thanks to Ira Hauptman for having the play writing class. It was the ember that started the fire for this festival,” John DeFilippo said. “Whether a student wants to get into directing, writing or working backstage, we urge anyone who is interested to come and join the Theatre Guild,” he added.
