24: "A Card Game Called Murder"

So, anyone who knows me well knows my story pretty well, about how I came to Michigan wanting to be a doctor, didn't do particularly well in bio and chem, and somehow ended up pursuing a career in the film industry.  And I'm constantly reminded of this every time I talk to my Uncle Bob, who feels the need to recite the story from the beginning, just to make sure or something like that.

That I have gone into film and screenwriting doesn't surprise me; I've always loved the movies and I've always considered myself at least a decent enough writer.  But if you had asked me back in high school if I thought I'd be acting and directing in the theater, I probably would have harassed you about it.

But, the truth is, theater has been, surprisingly, a very big part of my college experience. And, without spoiling too much, I can assure you that this entry won't be the only mention of it in this top 25 list.

Today's entry is about my first "Kamikaze" experience, directing a play entitled "A Card Game Called Murder."

My sophomore year, a classmate and friend named Minhdzuy got me involved in a student-run theater group called the RC Players.  While not a member of the RC (the Residential College), I've been involved in RCP projects ever since. Kamikaze is their version of 24-hour theater.  The directors, writers, and actors are all chosen ahead of time, and come together to produce 2, 20-minute plays in 24 hours.

I auditioned as an actor, but cautioned the producers about casting me.  While I thought I did a decent job at the audition, when asked if I'd rather direct or act, I said, "well, I'll put it this way: I'm a really good director and a really bad actor."  Needless to say, I was ultimately chosen as one of the two directors.

The way Kamikaze works is: everyone (writers, producers, actors, and directors) meets at 8 pm on a Friday night.  Everyone introduces themselves, and the actors are asked to name a role they'd like to play and a prop they can provide. The writers then disappear, break into two writing teams (3 people each) and write the two scripts, trying to incorporate the actors' wishes and the props.  For example, one of the actors said they had a conch shell, which became part of an interesting plot point in the script I ended up directing.

With the writers gone, everyone else stays in a room, playing improv games throughout the night.  For anyone not familiar with what these games are, it's a lot like the show "Whose Line is it Anyway?"  Basically, it's a chance to have fun, be creative, and get to know people.

If I took one thing away from the experience, it was that last part: meeting new people.  I only knew a few people in the room, but that was cool.  I got to make many new friends.  Among them were Devin Brooks, an extremely talented actress who ended up playing the lead role in my play; Lauren Barrett, who I swear is Robin from "How I Met Your Mother"; and Alana and Ilana, whose names are pronounced the same but who I took to calling "Ay-Lana" and "Eye-Lana" as a joke/memory device.

Around 3 a.m., because we technically couldn't use the room all night long, we took a short break.  I went back to my friend, Grace's house and fell asleep on he couch.  By 7, I was back up and meeting with the writers and producers in the library.  When I walked in, they were finishing up the scripts and Rayna, a producer, said she thought I should direct the script "A Card Game Called Murder" because of it's ensemble cast, something I was familiar with managing.  I also lobbied for that script, the sole reason being that Grace had been cast in one of the lead roles and I wanted very badly to work with her again.

By 8, the actors returned and we read through the scripts.  I then had less than 12 hours to direct them and rehearse.  It was a challenge, for sure, but I had such an awesome cast - headlined by Devin and Grace - who made it a lot easier, and a lot of fun.  The two main characters were Ilana (played by Grace, and named after the actress Ilana), and Trisha (played by Devin).  They adopted these over-the-top Californian accents, and in keeping with the I-lana/A-lana joke, I had everyone pronounce Grace's character's name as "Eye-Lana."

Ilana and Trisha were rich, snobby big-city girls who decide their lives are "too perfect" and go searching for more real, innocent experiences.  They run into a group of Montana citizens on vacation, and the ensuing experience leads to everyone having a better understanding of themselves and living happily every after.  The Montana gang was played by Alana, Kate, John, and Ankur, who were all excellent and did exactly what was asked of them.  I particularly enjoyed their upper-body-only dancing (it makes me laugh every time).  And as I said, Devin and Grace made a fantastic team.

We spent hours going over characters, blocking, learning lines.  By mid-afternoon, we were rehearsing off-script, albeit with many mistakes.  At one point, I gave the cast a 15 minute bathroom break, but came back to find them all asleep (I didn't have the heart to wake them up, so let them rest for an hour or so).

After a dinner break and sending everyone home to change, we were ready to put on the show at 8 p.m. Saturday night.  It was a lot of fun, garnered some good laughs, drew a big crowd, and ultimately has gone down as one of the best experiences of my college career, and I'm really looking forward to being involved in one more before I graduate.

Here's a link to the performance, in which I also cameo: