McDaniel senior directs “Speech & Debate” with more than 20 students assisting with production

More than 20 McDaniel College students were part of the “Speech & Debate” production, directed by one of their own, McDaniel senior Zacharias Callis. Callis is a Theatre Arts major from Damascus, Md.

Performances were Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13 in WMC Alumni Hall. Due to COVID-19, the performances were only open to McDaniel students, faculty, and staff.

“Speech & Debate,” a comedy by Stephen Karam, examined what happens when three teenage misfits in Salem, Ore., discover they are linked by a scandal that rocked their town. When one of them set out to expose the truth, secrets became currency, the stakes got higher, and the trio’s connection grew deeper in this searching, fiercely funny dark comedy with music. 

Callis said he chose the show because it “tells a story about the power of the young voice. We overlook young people because they don’t have enough ‘life experiences’ that the older generation does. We are dismissive of their thoughts and ideas when really all we want to create a better world.”

“Speech & Debate” included Shana Joslyn as the scenic, light, video, and sound designer, Melissa Gilbert as the costume designer, musical direction by Kyle Engler, and Stephen Strosnider as the technical director. The cast included recorded voices by Theatre Arts faculty members Gené Fouché and Elizabeth van den Berg, and McDaniel student Noelle Skoda. Fouché also served as a staff mentor, while Skoda, a Theatre Arts major from Nottingham, Md., was stage manager for the production.

Cast members included:

• Timothy Clark of Collingswood, N.J.,
• Brandi Dupree, a Communication and Theatre Arts double major from Baltimore,
• Amanda Halcott, a Theatre Arts major from Baltimore,
• Matthew Zwick, a Theatre Arts major from Germantown, Md.

Personnel and crew members included:

• Eli Bendel-Simso, a Theatre Arts major from Westminster, Md.,
• Angel Bidgell of Glen Burnie, Md.,
• Gibson Cameron of Arlington, Va.,
• Heaven Clark, a Sociology major from Rochester, Minn.,
• Karly Congero, a Business Administration and Spanish double major from Lavallette, N.J.,
• Nicholle D’Anna, an English-Theatre Arts dual major from Essex, Md.,
• Noelle de la Garrigue, an Art and French double major from Alexandria, Va.,
• Bryant Gutknecht, a Theatre Arts major from Manchester, Md.,
• Carly Ludwig, an Elementary Education major from Ephrata, Pa.,
• Lauren McKenna, a Psychology and Theatre Arts double major from Sykesville, Md.,
• Amanda Murren, a Theatre Arts major from Hanover, Pa.,
• Anna Odell, an English-Theatre Arts dual major from Abington, Md.,
• Amber Parker, a Criminal Justice major from Glen Burnie, Md.,
• Julia Schnitzer of Gaithersburg, Md.,
• Lydia Varacalle of Essex, Md.,
• Luke Weinberg, a Cinema-Theatre Arts dual major from San Jose, Calif.