The Journal

Issue date: 4/28/05 Section: Culture

Media Credit: RYAN RUMBERGER / The Journal Junior Brittni Lombardo performs "My Perfect Feet." The 20-minute one-woman show was based on the true story of a burn victim and was written by senior film production major Andy Hobin.

There was not an empty seat to be found in Webster University's Studio Theater of the Loretto Hilton Center. The title "Surfacing" glowed green, projected high on a wall as five plays were performed.

April 22 through 24, the Emerging Playwrights' Festival featured a variety of work, entirely student produced, including writing, technical work, acting and directing.

"It's a great opportunity to do what you've never done before," said co-producer and director Laurie Melnik.

Trying something new was definitely the case for freshman Matthew Leaders, a math major. He went to workout in the University Center and ended up auditioning.

"I didn't think I was going to get a part but I'm really glad I did," he said. "It's a good display of the talent Webster students have."

Talent that may otherwise go unseen because the theater scene is dominated by Webster's Conservatory and other groups that perform on campus had a chance to shine.

"That's how the festival is run, which is always about the writer," said senior playwright Andy Hobin, a film production major.

"My Perfect Feet" is Hobin's fourth work to be produced at Surfacing. As a dramatic interpretation, it has also done well in national collegiate forensics and Pi Kappa Delta competitions. At boy scout camp in 2002, Hobin read a newspaper article about an Arizona cop who came out of a horrible accident with only his feet left untouched.

"Out of all that misery you can get one little miracle," Hobin said.

That was his inspiration, and although in real life the man didn't live, the play takes a different course, dealing with the difficulties of re-acclimating to family life after tragedy. The play was also written for a man, but adapted for a woman when actress junior Brittni Lombardo "blew away" director and co-producer Phillip Allen with her audition. Hobin was slow to embrace the change, however.

"We had to make it work for a mother and daughter, two guys exploring this relationship," Allen said. "It was really nice to have Andy there. We had to ask do we strengthen it through text or direction, and keep focus in mind over egos."

Continued...

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