Liberal Arts student directs play

By Jenny Jones
Staff Writer

Dija Pathak, a senior in the School of Liberal Arts, never thought of theater as a career choice.

With her first major as engineering, Pathak said studying engineering while participating in theater was too stressful.

That was when she realized theater was her passion and changed her major.

Now not only is Pathak pursuing her acting career, but she is also directing five acts from the six-act play "Mere Mortals," by David Ives. The show will run at 8 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Black Box Theater located in Creative Arts Building 3. The show is free to the public.

"I wanted to do something for a lot of people to become involved in," Pathak said.

"Mere Mortals" works to depict life and its meaning.

The first act titled "Foreplay" opens on a miniature-golf course where a character named Chuck talks to many different women. It is through these interactions that Chuck's life evolves and his entire character changes from stage to stage in his life.

"Mere Mortals," the play's second act, concerns a group of construction workers who are conversing over lunch while perched 50 stories above the city. During their conversations, the men share fantasy stories about their lives.

The third act, "Time Flies," depicts a group of mayflies eating food and sipping drinks as they watch a TV program similar to the movie Crocodile Dundee. It is during this scene that the mayflies are forced to come to terms with their mortality.

"That's ("Time Flies") my favorite," Pathak said. "It's really cute."

The next act, "Dr. Fritz," deals with the character Dr. Fritz and a woman who comes to visit him. After visiting with Fritz for awhile, the woman begins to go crazy and she becomes possessed by Dr. Fritz.

The final act being directed by Pathak is "Degas." This act deals with a man who spontaneously decides that he will be Edgar Degas but no one recognizes him. It is not until his wife tells him that she would recognize him no matter who he said he was that Degas realizes it does not matter who he is as long as he is himself. "Degas … who needs Degas?" he says.

Pathak got the chance to direct "Mere Mortals" as part of the theater department's workshop season.

The workshop season gives the students a chance to learn new things, said Lori Sparger, theater and marketing director.

Although Pathak is directing a cast of her peers during this workshop, Katie VanHuysse, a cast member and junior in the School of Liberal Arts, said they have more fun with a student director.

"We take criticism really well from each other," said VanHuysse. "It's more like a conversation than a critic of what we're doing."

While directing is a lot of work, Pathak said she gets most of her inspiration from her best friend, Allison Horvath.

"She lets me be me," Pathak said.

Besides her inspirations, Pathak also said she puts a lot trust in God.

FEATURES DESK PHONE:
(765) 743-1111 ext. 256

Features editor:
Megan Finnerty

To send a letter to the editor, please email opinions@purdueexponent.org