The Theatre Arts department put on a collection of one-act plays called “365 Days/ 365 Plays” from esteemed playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, the first African American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. The performances streamed virtually from Nov. 4 to Nov. 7. The 18 plays chosen for these performances reflect on the concepts of beginning, middle and end. 

Between 2002 and 2003, Parks challenged herself to write one play a day for an entire year. “[The plays] touch on rampant capitalism, identity, bigotry, and the human search for significance. [Parks’] year’s examination of humanity reveals something that is never perfect, but always striving,” wrote Director Danielle Cain in the show’s program. 

“[Cain] picked the specific pieces in this show and molded them to bring light to certain problems that we see every day in society. From racism to police brutality and misuse of power, to mentions of drug use and hints at abusive relationships,” wrote Annaliese Van Sickle, a third-year Theatre Arts major, in an email. 

“As the director, I was given the opportunity to suggest shows over the summer. We chose Suzan-Lori Parks’ ‘365 Days/365 Plays’ because it’s crucial for students to hear and consider the experiences of playwrights of color. Parks writes with compassion, humor and sharpness about living in America. The collage aspect of the play lends itself to interesting casting options, and use of digital backgrounds,” wrote Cain in an email. 

“This show was meant [to evoke] a response that surrounded discomfort and further thinking about the state of our world at the moment. Throughout the whole piece, we were making a statement in so few words,” Van Sickle wrote.

The play included a variety of features that would not have been possible with traditional in-person theater. The video recording and streaming format allowed performers to use a green screen and sound effects to add emphasis to the work of the actors. 

Cain explained how they choose productions to put on during the semester, “Some things the department considers are acting and design challenges for the students, how shows correlate to the department curriculum, how it will serve the wider SSU audience, and how a play relates to current events.” Cain also mentioned that the department looks for “Immediacy, challenges, variety, [and] fun,” when deciding on entertainment options to offer. 

“I loved working on this show! Having done theatre over zoom for the past year and a half, there has been a deep desire to finally be back on a stage of any kind while acting with my peers…” Van Sickle continued.

Third-year Communications major Mariah Forster shared their thoughts about working on this play in an email, “My experience working on this show was a positive one. The first day I came to rehearsal, our director Danielle and all the cast members were very welcoming. They made me feel that I belonged in the show and that my opinions matter, which I really appreciated.” 

The sense of community found in the SSU theatre department is shared by other actors in this play, like Daija Temple, third-year Theatre major, who said in an email, “This was my first show at Sonoma State so I went into it very curious about what we would be doing but I really enjoyed the work that I did. Danielle and Gabe (the directors) did a really good job at making everybody feel comfortable and have an enjoyable time.”

To check out more of what SSU’s theatre community has to offer, visit the department site at theatreartsanddance.sonoma.edu.