ĀŅĀ׊”æÉ°® premieres new work by alumni playwrights
Two ĀŅĀ׊”æÉ°® alumni playwrights will showcase their talents on campus this semester when their new work Cleveland CircleĀ premieres at the Universityās Robsham Theater ArtsCenter.
Featuring a cast of eight performers, the new work by 2023 graduates Aidan OāNeill and Lily Telegdy explores the web of human connections through the lens of 20-somethings living in Boston, in the titular neighborhood near ĀŅĀ׊”æÉ°®.Ā Cleveland Circle will be presented at Robshamās Bonn Studio from March 21-24 as part of the RTAC/Theatre Department spring line-up.
Lily Telegdy
āThe road to happiness is marked with jarring potholes and unexpected detours,ā the playās description states, as the protagonists āgrapple with lifeās basic questions.ā Some are as trivial as where to get a good cup of coffee. But others are troubling and complex: āWho am I really? What is the right thing to do? Is there life after 30?ā
Though neither describe the playāinspired when they were undergraduates in part by the great unknown of life after collegeāas autobiographical, āthere are many traits about myself I see in the characters, and I share many of their fears about the future and being an adult,ā Telegdy said.
OāNeill concurred. āThe overarching sense of āwhat to do nextā is definitely true to our experiences. I lived in Cleveland Circle for two years during my time at ĀŅĀ׊”æÉ°®; itās a special place to me and it perfectly fit the transitory, circular nature of our playā as a backdrop to the charactersā stories, struggles, and connections.
Aidan O'Neill
The duo were frequent collaborators during their undergraduate years as theatre majors. They began writing Cleveland Circle during senior year as their thesis project with Professor of Theatre Scott T. Cummings, who is directing the play. He first directed their work in 2022 as part of a āNew Voicesā showcase of original plays. Ā
āIāve developed a number of new plays at ĀŅĀ׊”æÉ°® by students or former students, but this is the first time I am directing a play written by two people,ā Cummings said. āItās different. Itās almost like there are three playwrights: Lily, Aidan, and the curious blend of their voices.ā
Though Cummings describes them as very different people, āthey have symbiotic sensibilities,ā he said. Ā āAt this point, when Iām working on the script, I donāt remember who wrote what at firstāunless I come across a real Lily-ism or Aidan-ism. They definitely have distinctive senses of humor.ā
āWorking with Scott again means so much to me,ā Telegdy said. āEver since I met Scott, he has encouraged me as a playwright, and working on āNew Voicesā was one of the most rewarding experiences. We started writing this play in an independent study with Scott, and he is as important to Cleveland Circle as either myself or Aidan.ā
āScott was one of my favorite professors, biggest mentors, and a frequent collaborator,ā OāNeill said. āHeās still all of those things and a great friend as well, so itās a joy to work with him. It wouldnāt be happening without him.ā
Of their continued collaboration, Cummings said: āIāve worked with each of them for years: two semesters of playwriting when they were sophomores, a year developing their separate one-act plays as part of āNew Voices 2022ā in their junior year, a joint independent study in their senior year, and now work on Cleveland CircleĀ when they are out in the world and confronting ālife after college.ā Itās a privilege to have sustained working relationships like this and to see them grow not just as playwrights but as people, too.ā Ā
Both are happy that Cleveland Circle will premiere on campus.
āIt makes me really excited that this play is premiering at a college,ā Telegdy said. āIt feels right: that a play about whatās itās like to be a young person is first presented to young people, by young people.ā
Added OāNeill, āItās weird but very exciting to be coming back to ĀŅĀ׊”æÉ°® and premiering this play. Since I just graduated in May, itās certainly a bit of dĆ©jĆ vu, but I love and am so thankful for the ĀŅĀ׊”æÉ°® theater community, so itās pretty special.
āOne of my favorite parts of the whole Cleveland Circle process has been co-writing with Lily. You donāt frequently get to co-write with someone and itās been a very special collaboration with a great friend.ā
Both are pursuing careers in theater: Telegdy, a drama teacher and technical director, focuses on theater for young audiences, and plans to continue work as a playwright; OāNeill has a job in events in addition to theater work as a long-term pursuit.
Ā For more information on the production, including performance times and ticket prices, seeĀ . For tickets, go toĀ Ā or call the RTAC Box Office at ext. 2-4002.