One experience that stood out to me in my first semester at Allegheny was the S.E.T (Student Experimental Theater) production I participated in called “The 9 Worst Break-Ups of All Time.” Theater was a big part of my life in high-school. I was in crew or a pit orchestra member for all four years, and saying goodbye was the hardest part of senior year. It felt like my second family and when I was joining Allegheny, I was not really sure I would find that here, especially since I was not planning on pursuing theater as my career.
About two weeks into my first year at Allegheny, I heard about Student Experimental Theater and that they needed people for crew in the October production. I was more than happy to try it out.
The crew joined the actors about a week or two before opening night in mid-October, and those were the most wonderfully hectic days of the semester. We would go to Arter around 6:00 pm and stay until around 9:00 pm all week. We would work on props and costumes, figure out set changes and rehearse them each day leading up to opening night. Even if it was a brief time I spent with the cast and crew, by the end I knew I found some of the friendliest and hard-working people I have ever met. I also felt like I found a place where I was completely accepted and included.
The production went smoothly and my time there felt far too short. On opening night, there was a meeting before the show where everyone receives a paper plate award from the director as a tradition. On the paper plate is usually something they notice about you during the rehearsals.
My paper plate award reads “ early is on time,” since I was always on time or earlier, even if the crew had some extra time while actors were getting ready. S.E.T. brought me a community of friendly faces that all care about theater. My first S.E.T. production was the best experience I have had so far at Allegheny, and I full intend to involve myself with this group as much as I can for the next four years.
~~ Annabelle Jones, Class of '22
WE EACH PLAY A ROLE IN HOW OUR ALLEGHENY COLLEGE EXPERIENCE PLAYS OUT. A SINGLE DONATION CAN ENSURE THAT A FELLOW GATOR'S TIME AT COLLEGE PLAYS OUT WELL. PLEASE GIVE.