LateNite Theater to bring a plethora of plays

LateNite Theater is more than just a midnight snack—it’s a five-course meal that acts like a full workout.

The 90-minute theater program is made up of five one-act plays, all directed, written, and performed by Columbia students. Aside from that, the plays produced this year have little in common, which is precisely the point.

Erin Byrne, BC ‘09, a co-producer of LateNite—long with Alice Mottola, BC ‘10,—is quick to emphasize the diversity to be found among the five plays. “We try to strike a balance between the serious and the comedic,” she explained. As the producer, Byrne sees her job as a creative role, making an arc for the entire evening. The key to creating this arc is varying the content—if one play is not to a particular audience member’s taste, the next one should be.

Byrne’s goal is to make theater accessible to the entire Columbia community. She believes LateNite grows a little each year. “It has gotten flack in the past for not taking itself seriously, but everyone is very invested and dedicated. Things are fun and relaxed, but good work gets done.”

Rob Trump, CC ‘09, one of the writer-directors, describes working on the show as “wholly enjoyable.” Trump, who has written for the Varsity Show, is a newcomer to LateNite. He believes that the reduced pressure of LateNite provides a forum for students to take risks and experiment. Trump describes his approach to writing as “finding what happens when normal people have to react to really abnormal situations.”

While Trump’s play is a comedic spoof of murder mystery parties, he thinks conflict is the key to a compelling play. “When the conflict is something ridiculous, you’re more likely to laugh, and when it is more serious you’re likely to experience an emotional impact,” he said.

LateNite’s diverse plays are a direct reflection of the assortment of people involved. Byrne says that the individuals involved with LateNite come not only from every corner of campus theater, but also those who are completely new to theater altogether. Jon Kaplan, CC ’11, is a LateNite veteran in his fourth show, but his stage experience was limited to improvisational comedy before being involved in LateNite. Kaplan is in two of the plays this semester, and continues to come back because of the camaraderie he feels with the rest of the cast and crew.

But LateNite is not all fun and games. Each LateNite production has given Kaplan new challenges to face as an actor. In the past, he has had to hone his dancing skills, pretend to be an NYU student, and share the stage with a fellow actor who was completely nude. This year, he has to portray an old man.

“This role is more removed from who I really am,” Kaplan said. “But that is what is so great about LateNite. It is a playground, but less daunting than a full length play.”