Spring performances range from a Shakespeare satire to a drama about the pains of youth.
The lineup of this year’s senior thesis performance checked three boxes: play, musical, and bluegrass-ensemble-accompanied.
The latter, describing Crossroads by Joey Bluhm ’23, includes two parts: play writing and composition. His original script was accompanied by an original score, which students and community members performed May 3–5. The play’s title is a reference to a saying in the blues community: “selling your soul to the devil.” Bluhm explains: “Legend has it that guitarist Robert Johnson sold his soul at the crossroads so he could master his instrument. Crossroads is inspired by this legend. It portrays sacrifice and exchange.”
To Bluhm, the instruments tell the story. And as a guitar player, he knows that bluegrass can carry a dialogue. “Bluegrass is the genre that I’ve found the most expression in as a performer,” says Bluhm. “You can improvise and riff off of others. It translates to the context of storytelling.”
Jenny Wu ’23 also offered a musical thesis. She adapted Something Rotten! (2015), a comedy set in the 16th century. It follows two brothers competing with Shakespeare’s success in the theater industry and includes a series of tap-dance choreography scenes. Wu’s cast consisted of members of Masque and Triangle, Colgate’s student theater group, who performed March 31–April 3.
“I have friends in Masque and Triangle, so when they reached out to me to direct their musical, I was very excited that I was the kind of director they were looking for,” says Wu.
When she picked Something Rotten!, Wu was inspired by the comic flair of its script.
“Something Rotten! is so over the top with its humor,” she says. “When I first saw a recording of the show, I thought, ‘I need to do this.’’’
Since then, Wu has prioritized creating a fun environment for her cast, where they can laugh on and off set.
“It’s important to build a cast that deeply loves the musical,” says Wu. “We’ve all been sharing laughter during rehearsals, and everyone has been excited to learn tap.”
The third thesis is an original work by Diego Abanto Ibarguen ’23 titled Moths and Butterflies, which presents a coming-of- age tale set in a high school. Butterflies, as we know them, evolved from moths — Abanto Ibarguen’s show analogizes this phenomena to the transition into adulthood.
“In this transition, people have to consolidate parts of themselves into who they will be,” says Abanto Ibarguen.
Four cast members made the hour-long show, which was divided into two acts and presented April 26–27. The story follows these students’ senior year of high school and the relationships that define their experiences. Altogether, the drama aches with the pains of youth.
“Moths and Butterflies is all about how we have to let go of some friendships and how we find new ones,” explains Abanto Ibarguen. “It gets sort of violent, personality-wise, because the characters come out of their shell so strongly.”
The script reflects Abanto Ibarguen’s aim to put his memories on the stage.
“I’ve tried to keep Moths and Butterflies as close to me as possible,” Abanto Ibarguen says. “When you write plays, I feel it’s most effective to draw from your own experiences.”