The Theatre Club, founded in 2017 by Timothy Rigodeau, offers its members the opportunity to live the experience of belonging to a theater production company, in which plays are written and performed from scratch!
We were able to have a talk with Nivedita Humple, current president of the club, who answered some questions.
Who can join the club?
Anybody is welcome to join the club. Even an IE staff member has been part of this production for two years.
How can people join the club?
Joining the club is easy! You just need to send your full name, IE email, and WhatsApp number to us. You can contact us through Instagram, Gmail, or Campus Groups.
How many members can the club have?
We have a limited number of spots for acting, but if anyone wants to take part in production or marketing, there is no such limit.
What does the club do?
We used to conduct workshops once in a while, where non-club members were encouraged to participate. Furthermore, we conducted activities in the local Segovia library for kids. Then we practice for the play with various warm-up exercises.
How long do the club meetings last?
We get together a minimum of once a week, and the meeting usually goes up to 3 hours, sometimes more, depending on how much work we want to get done.
In which ways can the members of the club participate?
We have acting, directing, producing, set designing, costumes and makeup, lighting and sound, prop production, marketing, poster design, and since this year we are doing a movie, we also have post-production.
How has the club adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic?
Due to the pandemic, we have set a limited number of people that will be able to participate in the first semester. We previously used to have 40 members, more or less, but this year it is only 20, due to COVID-19 and health restrictions. We also have started 2 plays instead of just one, to accommodate those that will join us in Segovia in the 2nd semester.
“The biggest thing we have learned is how a community becomes a family. We have learned about the confidence a stage can give, and the motivation your peers can give you”
Tell us a little about your new book.
The new books hold the script for our play, Turn of the Century, which was performed at the beginning of 2020, and also the script of our upcoming play, An Acquaintance Named Life.
The Turn of the Centaury is about all the issues that there were in America in the late 1960s. We touched upon racism, gender equality, gay rights, white supremacy, etc. The interesting factor in the play is the way it was written, through iterated impro. The actors acted things out without a scrip and the performances were recorded. Later on, we would turn those recordings into a script. It was probably the most unique approach the theatre club has ever had towards writing plays.
An Acquaintance Name Life is a more conventional play, written during the summer, and it is about 5 friends going through life and seeing how it changes. It was supposed to be played out in April 2019, but the pandemic changed that. We still do not know when and if the play will be acted out.
What would you say to the people interested in being part of this club?
Come join us! We are still open to people who are looking to be a part of the production crew. We even have a director, Pedro Collantes, who is teaching us the ropes through some workshops. It is a great learning opportunity and one that definitely should not be missed!
Editorial Note: This article was created in association with Campus Life as part of their Meet the Club initiative.
