Through the week of Oct. 25, the SUNY New Paltz Department of Theatre Arts presented its first mainstage production of the year, “Town Hall,” directed by Niqo Torrez (‘22). Performances took place from Oct. 25-31, and Nov. 1-3, filling Parker Theatre with students, families and community members.
Written by Caridad Svich, “Town Hall” is a non-narrative performance piece that asks urgent questions about how humans move together through a world that seems to be falling apart. It explores topics of activism, the climate crisis, global challenges and inequality, while investigating the complexities and contradictions involved in navigating relationships.
The original script for “Town Hall” allowed for a great amount of creative freedom regarding how to tell the story, which paired well with director Torrez’s tendency to produce movement-based work that focuses on portraying human experiences through physical language. Torrez used a movement boot camp to help evaluate the different ways that the students in the cast moved and interacted with each other and then developed those observations into a physical world specific enough that audiences would see themselves in this “hyper unspecific” world. Torrez said that the looseness of the script worked well with cultivating creativity authentically: “I felt like there was a lot of opportunity because it was so expansive, [for] the students [to drive] the production, [for them to] make choices that they felt confident about and have agency over the story that we were telling.” They added, “This whole process was [about] trying to get at that question of, ‘What are we going to create for the world of this play?’” A notion that parallels questions that the show so fervently asks: What kind of world can we imagine and what kind of world can we create?
The movement and physicality of the production was integral. Sitting in the audience, there was a level of interaction between the actors and audience that made the viewing experience visceral and the feeling of empathy inescapable. It’s what can make live theater even more impactful than any other form of storytelling. “I think anything that you’re seeing happen to a real human being in front of you should affect you,” said Torrez. In “Town Hall,” the audience is asked to be a part of the conversation, which is what makes the use of shared physical space so important.
Putting on any theater production is a hugely collaborative effort. Along with the members of the cast, there are crew members including stage managers, lighting designers, costume designers, sound designers, makeup artists, and dramaturgs who help bring the production to life with accuracy and care. Being a human art form conflict and difficulties inevitably arise, but the culmination of collective hard work creates a finished body of work, making the process incredibly rewarding. As director of the production, Torrez found it fulfilling simply witnessing the students’ experience and growth, especially as a recent graduate themself, “Watching them gain a confidence in themselves over the month [was] so touching and heartwarming, and just not an aspect that I had considered in taking the job … It was electric and energizing, especially after opening night to see all of them come off [stage] with giant smiles on their faces.”
The play was written for four actors, though this production had a cast of 12. Even with more cast members than the script originally intended, Torrez prioritized making everyone’s voice heard on stage, especially in an ensemble piece that highlights the urgency of listening to students’ voices and respecting the principles they stand so firmly on. “If we’re going to do a show about what happened to the students, the students should get a say in the show.” The play is described on Svich’s website as a “play-conversation … that explores who we are and who we might be.” It reflects the questions that so many ordinary 20-something-year-old people have about how to grapple with the world around them and make sense of what they are inheriting as the next generation, bearing the brunt of what has come before them. Torrez said, “[It’s about] trying to maintain hope when it feels like everything is careening towards disaster, and just having that conversation over and over and over again until we figure it out.” The piece poignantly and artfully portrays the intersection of politics and its emotional effect on people and communities.
After the events of last semester, when New York State Troopers were called onto the SUNY New Paltz campus by President Wheeler following a peaceful pro-Palestine encampment on Parker Quad, the production of “Town Hall” feels particularly timely. “I wanted to [foster] the experience of what it means to speak to your community through your craft,” said Torrez. “I hope that the students are heard and are recognized. I hope that [there is a] realization that the encampment was handled poorly, [and] I hope that students who come to see the show feel empowered to not let that moment in time take down their hope, but only energize it. I hope that it moves people to action; if this is the start of a conversation, then what you do leaving the theater is the actions you take to see that change. Sit and chew with that conversation and let it inspire you to do something.”
There will be four more mainstage productions in the coming months: Trouble in Mind, Spies Are Forever, New Pages and Shrek the Musical. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.newpaltz.edu/fpa/theatre/productions/maintstage/ or follow @sunynewpaltztheatre on Instagram.