Alternate College Theatre Presents Theresa Rebeck’s Comedy ‘Seminar’

The College of the Holy Cross’ student run Alternate College Theatre (ACT) will present “Seminar,” written by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Emma Callahan ’18, an English major at the College. The performances will be held in Fenwick Theatre, located on the second floor of O’Kane Hall, on Dec. 1–3 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 3–4 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $7 for members of the Holy Cross community and $10 for the general public and can be reserved by calling the box office at 508-793-2496.

“Seminar” is a comedy centered around four aspiring 20-something writers that meet weekly in an Upper West Side apartment to show their work to a celebrated editor and get his response — which mostly comes in the form of devastating, hilarious put-downs. Rebeck’s glittering dialogue made this uproarious hard-boiled comedy the toast of Broadway.

As the director, Callahan mentions that the process has been an undertaking, but has taught her not only about directing, but who she wants to be as an artist.

“It's very surreal directing a full show; It feels like I'm entering the big leagues,” says Callahan. “Directing is not just about telling someone ‘stand there and then walk over there.’ As the director, I have to take the messages I find in Rebeck's play and convey those messages to the audience through every choice I make. What makes it all less nerve-wracking is my amazing cast and crew who are always inspiring me and making me laugh.”

In addition, Callahan hopes that audience can see themselves in the characters, even if they do not wish to be aspiring writers.

“The message I hope the audience receives is that writing can be a very daunting task. Where there is hilarity there is also a lot of heartbreak,” she explains. “The young writers in the seminar discover that making their dreams of becoming professional writers a reality takes more than a dash of talent. It takes determination, voice, good connections and vulnerability. And even when they have all of that, there are no guarantees.”

The production’s main cast includes: Nora Grimes ’19, Hannah Gabriel ’17, Patrick Kerrigan ’20, Daniel Millard ’20 and Liam Prendergast ’19.