Students fought zombies, played “Survivor,” befriended Pitbull and more in the Trinity University Players’ (TUPS) annual performance of “First Years Putting on Theatre” (FYPOT). The show ran from Sept. 19–20 in the Ruth Taylor Fine Arts Center’s Café Theater and featured five short plays, written and directed by upperclassmen and performed by first-years and those otherwise new to Trinity theater.
Over the summer, teams of TUPS members wrote the plays — which ranged in subject matter from the zombie apocalypse at Trinity (“28 Semesters Later”) to two students’ quest to acquire alcohol with a time machine (“A Stumble Through Time”).
TUPS held auditions at the beginning of the semester. Alex Kang, junior physics major and director of “Season 69 Episode 420; Survivor: Destination Trinity University,” participated in FYPOT all three years she has been at Trinity, first as an actor and now twice as a writer-director.
“It’s really nice to create a space where people feel comfortable to try out new things and big choices,” Kang said. “It’s great to see people blossom into their more theatrical side, because I certainly know that when I did FYPOT my [first year], I was a bit more reserved, but I think FYPOT taught me how to make bigger choices and how to be less afraid in a theater environment.”
Bella Maradiago, first-year undecided major, acted in “AA: The Play,” a show about an alien support group. Maradiago has been doing theater her entire life, but she said she still found FYPOT to be an educational and rewarding experience.
“The theater that I used to go to was more of a community theater, so I knew the same people that I did in second grade that I graduated with,” Maradiago said. “I was really nervous about going to a new theater community with tons of new people, but I think it taught me to be very open because realistically, at least when I’m within the theater, we’re all more alike than we are different.”
Nick Brabham, first-year English major, performed alongside Maradiago in “AA: The Play” as an alien distraught at his failed attempts to conquer Earth. Brabham talked about the importance of the experience for him both on and off stage.
“Before [FYPOT], I had no idea what I was getting into, especially just starting college, but by joining this, I feel like I have a much better understanding of the theater scene here, and I have a much better understanding of people that I feel like I get along with,” Brabham said.
Despite the name, FYPOT isn’t just for first-years. Rose Simonson, junior music major and actor in “28 Semesters Later,” was one of the many non-first-years who participated. Simonson had little previous experience with theater, but a friend encouraged them to audition anyway.
“The first actual acting thing I’ve ever done in my entire life was with FYPOT. I think it was a perfect opportunity to try it out because it was so low stakes,” Simonson said. “It was so unserious. You could just go up and make a complete fool out of yourself, and everyone’s like, ‘Hell yeah.’”
Anna Kayser, sophomore undecided major, produced FYPOT. Kayser, also the recruitment and retention officer for TUPS, talked about how FYPOT’s purpose extends beyond the show itself.
“One thing that I really love about TUPS is the community that we build,” Kayser said. “So the purpose of FYPOT really is to build that community and welcome more people into that.”
Kayser hosted the show for a full theater. Students, faculty and parents came out to support the actors and when chairs ran out, people sat on the floor.
