Ben Mandell ’14 played a role in “Pact,” part of LONEtheater, for which he also served as assistant director/producer.
vlog students are sharing their experiences conducting research with faculty members on campus and in the field. This post is by Ben Mandell ’14 who, after graduating with a major and minor, discovered a unique type of theater that combined both of his academic pursuits.
LONEtheater was a theatrical experience different than any other.
Traditionally, actors perform on a stage that is in front of, or in some cases surrounded by, an audience. There is typically distance between the performers and the observers that casts an alienation effect on the audience, reminding them that they are watching a play.
LONEtheater turned this on its head by having each performance take place in a real-life setting, where the action could be seen by only one audience member at a time. Each audience member purchased a ticket for a specific time and location for the solo viewing.
The five locations were: an apartment in Brooklyn, Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, Grand Central Station, an abandoned office building, and the backstage and basement of a small theater.
This made for an intensely personal experience that was completely unique each time it was performed. The audience member effectively became a part of the scene — there were times when the performers directly engaged that person by posing questions, asking favors, and even having casual conversation.
Normally it is the actor’s job to react and evolve with the ebb and flow of a scene, but LONEtheater transferred part of this responsibility to the observer.
LONEtheater was originally written in Spanish by its director/writer Matías Umpierrez. Matías is from Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he made the first production of this piece.
Professor approached me about this project, and I applied for the assistant director role. I’ve taken three acting classes with her, including an Argentinean theater course, so my background knowledge from that course was helpful.
When I first accepted the position, I was going to be helping to translate parts of the script, translating for Matías during rehearsals, and also contributing to the artistic concept.
As we started pre-production work, there was still one role that had not been assigned to an actor — that of Thomas Lawrence Harper in the performance titled “Pact.” Instead of continuing to search for actors we didn’t know, Professor Sweeney and Matías both agreed that I could play the part.
I also ended up helping out as an assistant producer by running the online box office, ticketing, and scheduling. Additionally, I served as a contact for the press, other artists performing in the undergroundzero festival, and friends/family of LONEtheater actors.
This was the perfect first project for me to tackle post-graduation. I got to use what I had learned in acting classes with Professor Sweeney, apply techniques from directing classes, and then talk about all of those concepts and details in Spanish with an Argentinean director. It was a complete synthesis of my studies at vlog.
I’m thankful to Professor Sweeney for introducing me to this project, which was a good first step for me after graduation, and it was great to work with her in a professional setting.