By Rachel Matthews – Contributor

The drama department’s annual student-led TheatreActiv festival kicked off at Turner Studio Theatre this past weekend, running from Jan. 25 to the 28. Students Orion Gorkiert and Katie Dodd coordinated this event, featuring student-directed performances and the work of students enrolled in the lighting design course. Comprising two plays, one musical, a song, one soliloquy and a performance from Bishop’s improv troupe, the festival was nothing if not a roaring success, drawing in over 150 audience members across the four-night run. 

The first night of the festival commenced with a performance of Starwoman, written and directed by Morgan Doke. Set in 1986, the play follows Midge as she navigates her tumultuous home life with her sister and nana, the looming inevitability of what she will do after graduating high school and the world of classmates and marijuana. Starwoman was followed by a monologue selected from Shakespeare’s Hamlet and, finally, by 21 Chump Street, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit musical, directed by Laura Fernandez with musical direction from Amelia Walenui. Based on a true story, 21 Chump Street recounts how Justin, a straight-A high school student, falls into the trap of marijuana and drug dealing due to an undercover police investigation of his school. 

On the festival’s second night, the cast of Murder at Hawkins Manor delivered a delightfully comedic show revolving around the mysterious murder of Mr. Theodore Hawkins. The play is a satire of The Play That Goes Wrong, written and directed by Bishop’s Eve Rowlett. After a brief intermission, the cast of Spring Awakening performed a preview of their upcoming debut with “A Song of Purple Summer,” written by Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik. The full-length musical, directed by Art Babayants, will hit the stage of Centennial Theatre on March 14 for a four-day run. Closing out the show was Bishop’s very own improv team, who performed a variety of improvisational games based on audience suggestions. 

This weekend marked the second year of the festival since the COVID-19 pandemic. TheatreActiv runs in tandem with the New Plays festival, which emphasizes student-written works. Looking ahead, the drama department will run Spring Awakening and one of Christopher Marlowe’s classic plays, Faustus, adapted and directed by Rebecca Harries, showing in Turner Studio Theatre from April 3 to 7.