"Battle, Baby, Bird" can be described in this way: three short shows, one massive production. After months of planning and collaborating, three student-written shows will be performed and filmed in Moore Theater starting on Thursday, March 7 and running through Sunday, March 10.
In the fall of 2012, Steve Timm, a professor of theater and communication at DePauw, had students in his "Stage, Screen, and Television" course take on the task of playwriting. He then chose just a few pieces that would be performed on stage and filmed for D3TV. Out of the 16 plays submitted, Timm narrowed it down to just three: "Potato, Potato" by Will Freske, "The Curse" by Amanda Feller, and "Hawk" by Elise Lockwood.
"It's a big deal to have a play produced," Timm said.
Timm believes that there is a huge transformation from the writing of a play to the performance of that same piece. While writing may be a "solitary" task, production most definitely is not.
"Student actors, directors, producers, faculty, designers, crew, publicity and marketing folks, the D3TV staff all work toward realizing the piece," Timm said.
The writers started work on these plays in October of 2012 and have had to do up to six rewrites to perfect their pieces. Each play is one 25-minute act that is a complete literary story.
"Potato, Potato," the first play performed, is a comedy about a family feud. The act has a definitive style and unique language.
"I'm a big Shakespeare fan and I had an idea that I wanted to parody him a bit," said Freske, a senior communication and English major.
Freske started working on his story in October and said the hardest part was making sure the heightened language he used was accessible for the actors. In general, Freske expressed excitement about seeing his work performed.
"Seeing someone interpret my work and have fun with it has been just great."
The second play, "Cursed," written by senior Amanda Feller, is a darker drama that tells the story of a pregnant girl living with her grandfather.
"It's about love and family and trying to make the two work when they are both rather dysfunctional," Feller said.
Feller said her favorite part of this production has been, "having an excuse to follow Steve Timm around."
The third and final show, "Hawk," was written by Elise Lockwood, a junior, and is considered a dark comedy. The story portrays two children, long grown, who go home when their mother's dog is eaten by a hawk. Lockwood came up with the idea for her story through observing her own family.
"My mother has a small dog that I really hate," Lockwood said. "Once I thought about how upset my mom would be if the dog died and sort of how funny it would be."
Aside from the writers, there have been TV directors, actors, producers, and many others involved in putting these shows on stage and screen.
Rachel Phennig, a DePauw alumna who graduated in 2009, was asked to come back to help with the show. In 2007, Phennig filmed a show written by Steve Timm called, "Steve Here" live for D3TV.
Since graduating, Phennig has worked on two seasons of "So You Think You Can Dance?" and toured as the production coordinator for the Black Eyed Peas. Back at DePauw she has helped with all aspects of the one-act shows: from giving advice to TV directors, to showing the camera crew the basics.
"That show becomes your life for a time," Phennig said. "A whole group of individuals come together and create a united production. Then, to share that with an audience, to hear their reactions, knowing they are entertained and enjoying themselves. That makes all the long hours worth it."
Senior Kaitlin Klose is another person directly involved in D3TV's production of these plays. As a student producer, it is Klose's job to help organize everything and make sure that the writers, actors and directors are all on task.
Besides Phennig and Klose, there are other TV directors for each show. Lisa Sutherland is directing "Potato Potato," Stephanie Fernandez is directing "The Curse," and Felicia Santiago is directing "Hawk."
The main job of a TV director is to, "capture the essence of the play and transfer the largeness of theater to the detail of TV," Sutherland said.
The three acts will be broadcast live on Sunday at 3 p.m. and can be viewed on D3TV. The shows will only be filmed once, but the theater version will be performed Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $3 for students and $6 for the general public.
From written word to live performance, these plays have been in the hands of their creators. The time has come for those who put so much time and effort into these pieces to release them into the public sphere.
"I am so excited for people to see these plays," Lockwood said. "Everyone is so ready for an audience."