She has directed a one-act comedy about a notorious presidential controversy, but Beth Hubbard is dead serious about career in entertainment.
The 21-year-old Oxford resident and senior double major in business and theatre at Alma College directed the play Making the Call, a 1998 play written by Jane Martin, this past weekend at the college.
The play revolves around a young woman, Elizabeth (played by senior Jo Mollhagen-Jaksa), who is approached by a secret service agent named Parker (played by freshman Anthony Nellon) regarding an illicit offer from the president of the United States. She receives advice from both Parker and from her friend, Margaret, while President Michael Carver awaits downstairs.
MTC is based on the scandal involving President Bill Clinton and White House intern Monica Lewinsky, and despite the scandal and the heated debate that ensued between Republicans and Democrats, play looks at the lighter side of a similar scandal.
‘Parker is a little over the top in his super strictness, since most secret service agents are uptight and strict,? Hubbard explained. ‘There’s also the comedy the actors as a whole bring to it.?
This is the first play Hubbard has directed. She has acted in high school and in college in numerous plays. Among them Charlie Brown, Arsenic and Old Lace and dinner theaters. After acting in plays, Hubbard found that she preferred doing backstage work to being on stage. She’s worked as a sound board operator, sound engineer, assistant stage manager and now is getting into directing.
Previously, she served as assistant stage manager for The Dividers and as stage manager for the one-act play Just One Night.
Hubbard ended up directing a one-act play, as was the requirement of taking an intermediate directing class. Last winter she looked for one-act plays to direct and submitted MTC as one of her choices in the spring. During the summer she did a script analysis, then when school started began casting.
‘I really like the whole process,? said Hubbard, explaining what she likes about the behind-the-scenes work of directing and producing. ‘Seeing from start to finish how the actors progress and how the whole thing evolves.?
The Oxford senior admitted it was ‘nervewracking? as she watched the final performance but was very pleased with the result.
‘It was fun to see the work come together for the final performance,? she said. ‘You get to put what you want in the play. You can interpret the play different ways.?
Hubbard’s interpretation of the play was ‘can any man be trusted?? since President Carver wants an affair while Parker has a hidden agenda of exposing the president and gaining notoriety from it.
From this directorial debut, Hubbard wants to put more focus on table work during the beginning of rehearsals and allowing actors to delve more into who their characters are.
She finds communication to be an important tool for a director, as they need to work to be on the same page as their actors. It also gives directors the chance to encourage actors be creative in how they interpret the role.
‘You don’t want tell them exactly what you want but want them to bring themselves in,? she explained. ‘You ask a lot of questions.?
Hubbard pointed out how Alma associate professor of theatre Joe Jezewski focuses on the Meisner Technique, developed by renowned acting coach Sanford Meisner, that teaches actors to ‘live truthfully under imaginary circumstances.? This is further illustrated in plays like Hamlet, she said, adding: ‘If you watch Hamlet, each Hamlet is a different character. That person brings themselves into that character.?
Why a major in business for a drama career?
‘Business is really helpful for anything you go into,? she said. ‘With the producing side, business is very helpful with that.?
Once she finishes her bachelor’s degree, Hubbard plans to go to graduate school for film and television. She’s not sure if she’ll get into directing movies or television, since she prefers the faster, one-take approach to plays. But she does like the editing aspect of TV and films.