SUNY Oswego’s Blackfriars student production this semester will touch on topics familiar to much of its audience, as the intimate “A Play Where Nothing Happens” dives into the life of a recent high school graduate and her best friend struggling to enjoy their summer. 

Opening on Thursday, Feb. 24, the play features Anna (played by Claire Bosley), a girl preparing for her transition from high school to college, and her best friend Maura (Natalie Griffin) as they commiserate over their changing lives. As the title suggests, the show -- which has five performances in Tyler Hall's intimate lab theatre -- is more about special moments than the energy and action seen in a typical theater production. 

“It’s not really a play where huge events occur,” Griffin said of the work written by Maizy Broderick Scarpa. “It’s really plot driven -- it’s very much a character-driven play.”

“There’s no big climactic moment,” added Bosley. “But it’s all these beautiful little moments that are being romanticized and presented to the audience as something that is really special.”

A coming-of-age narrative, the story explores the emotions and identities of the main characters through their interactions with each other as well as with Pete and Jack (Kieran McCormack and Anastasia West, respectively), the remaining two characters of the four-person cast. 

“Because there are only four characters, I would say that it makes the work way more intimate and more special during the rehearsal process,” said Kayla Elfers, the director for the production and a senior at SUNY Oswego. “I think it allows actors to really evolve their character in a more quiet space.” 

The smaller group of characters also allows their actors to build strong chemistry both on and off the stage. 

“I think small casts are great,” said Bosley. “Being able to kind of personally get to know each one of the members of your cast, and have a relationship with each of them, allows you to explore this kind of strong character bond between each of the people in the show, each of the characters that you’re playing.” 

The cast explained that the appeal of the play despite its relative lack of action and small cast is not only its intimacy and character interactions, but the relatability of its themes and its characters’ central conflicts to its audience. 

“We spend our whole lives deciding what we’re going to do and plan out everything,” said Jennifer Saint Fleur, assistant director for the show and a senior at Oswego. “One of our characters is going through a big change in her life… change doesn’t have to be so scary, and you don’t have to have your life figured out in order to live it.” 

Authentic approach

“What’s really great about this play is just how real it is, and authentic,” said Griffin. “Our director, Kayla, keeps going back to just creating these moments and creating these characters that feel real, and hopefully the audience can relate to them and relate to their struggles.”

That relatability, the cast believes, is also an aid to acting, as they can channel some of their real-life experiences into their characters. 

“Everyone’s kind of contributing all their different life experiences to what’s happening in this play,” said Bosley. “I can see myself in my character and other characters in this play.” 

The cast hopes to impress not just the audience, but the playwright, Maizy Broderick Scarpa, as they bring this show to the stage for one of the first times. 

“There’s some pressure with that because we want to do it justice, but at the same time it’s a little liberating,” said Griffin. “When you perform something like Shakespeare, the audience and everyone already knows those roles and they know the characters … but with this, they’re brand new, so people can’t really already come in with their own preconceived ideas as to how those characters should be.”

The show premieres at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, with additional 7:30 p.m. curtains on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 25 and 26, as well as 2 p.m. weekend matinees on Feb. 26 and 27. Tickets are available from tickets.oswego.edu, and are free for SUNY Oswego students; $10 for faculty, staff and the general public.

To continue to ensure the health and safety of the campus community, all spectators (ages 5 and up) must show proof of having completed a full COVID-19 vaccination series or recent proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Visit oswego.edu/oswego-forward for more information.

-- Written by Collin Knapp of the Class of 2023