Tempestuous
Directed by Beulah Vega, Pegasus Theatre Company, June 2017
"A sleepy, rundown riverside resort is turned upside-down by the accidental release of local fairies from Oberon’s court. The underlying sense of magic in the play is hinted at from the first scene, as Cal saunters in overtly wearing a Dumbledore’s Army t-shirt. Weaving in and out are discussions regarding the nature of magic and its interaction with humans and fairy kind, touching on the idea that there is something missing from both that can only be found when working together without ulterior motive. Although it borrows heavily from William Shakespeare’s plays, from A Midsummer Night’s Dream to Coriolanus, the story is entirely of Sell’s devising, and extremely clever; it twists and turns with philosophical musings and its emphasis on the importance of family is oddly comforting." Alexa Chapman - Imagination Lane
Sweet Are The Uses
Directed by Marshall B Garrett, Sweet Wag Shakespeare, October 2017 & College of Saint Mary, May 2017
Directed by Beulah Vega, Heroines, Harpies, & Harlots Festival, February 2020
"Commissioning a feature that includes only female players was a perfect fit not only for the class, but for the CSM production, as well. It also contains some interesting and complex twists in the dialogue.
“The text of the play is really remarkable,” says Garrett. “The prologue is a mixed parody of both the opening speech from “Henry V” and the theme song from “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.”
But he adds that most of the dialogue are lines from Shakespeare, sourced from the entire canon.
The play is set in the Forest of Arden, where five of Shakespeare’s erstwhile heroines have sought safety after being banished from court by an authoritarian and corrupt Duke. The five meet in the forest and work to overcome obstacles, until they prove “Sweet are the uses of adversity,” a line from Shakespeare’s As You Like It.” Chris Kasel - College of Saint Mary