Mavericks One Acts tries to be more inventive

By Olivia Biagi
Collegian Editor
January 30, 2008

On Jan. 29, the Maverick One Acts held auditions for students interested in performing in one of three student-written short plays. The theater group, which is a small organization under the Masque, is comprised of students interested in writing, producing and performing one-act plays.

“It’s just a fun organization for people who enjoy theater,” said sophomore finance major John DiPompeo.

Students submitted their original scripts to DiPompeo, who is the producer of Mavericks, by Jan. 25. DiPompeo then chose three scripts from the submissions, which will be performed Friday, April 4 at the Dan Rodden Theatre.

“Any student can send a script,” said DiPompeo. “Usually the writers will direct. [At auditions] the directors take a segment of their scripts and pick any of the students to perform.”

One of the plays being performed this year will be Maverick’s first ever musical, titled The Metallic Farmer. It is written and directed by senior business major Dave Amodei and is said to feature school, robots and aliens. Another play, written by junior biology, chemistry and economics major Doug Phelan and directed by junior chemistry and general education major Val Ciarmarella, Fuel for the Fire, is an upbeat piece about a man and his pizza place. Finally, Yours, Mime and Ours, written and directed by sophomore communication and English major Allison Neff is about a boy and his father, a mime.

Maverick One Acts does not have a budget, and therefore, no sets. All performances are done in front of the curtain, so scripts chosen must, according to DiPompeo, “be doable, really.” Other qualities he looked for in submissions were originality, humor and length. DiPompeo also noted that students interested do not need to be a part of the Masque to audition or submit a script.

“We really encourage other people to come out,” DiPompeo said.

Maverick One Acts only perform one night of the year, so students who cannot dedicate time to the large Masque production may prefer the smaller show.

Mark Costello, a senior english and philosophy major, is the Maverick’s advisor. Each year the past year’s producer becomes the advisor, who guides the current producer. New this year is the position of assistant producer, who is senior communication major Katie Williams.

“There are a lot of rehearsals,” DiPompeo said, “but they’re not as serious [as the Masque rehearsals].”

While Maverick One Acts has been in existence at La Salle for nearly five years, it may be difficult to find any information about it.

“It’s a low-key organization,” said DiPompeo. “It’s hard to get the name around.”

“I would love to change Mavericks and make it more than one night and get funding. Next year, I’m hoping to get a producer [who will] change Mavericks, make it bigger and better.”

biagio1@lasalle.edu