The SCF Theatre Program Presents John Cariani's Play Love/Sick

Amanda Schlachter: Hello and welcome to the Suncoast Culture Club. My name is Amanda Schlachter assistant professor of theater at the State College of Florida and director for John Cariani's Love/Sick our current production at SCF Theater. I am thrilled to be here today with our guests. I have the joy of working with them every day on Love/Sick and the privilege of witnessing their talent and creativity. Today we have Craig Smith, the SCF Theater Program Manager, as well as our set and lighting designer for our show. Craig's also been working with one of our students on lighting design, but he's going to talk about that in a moment. We also have two students with us, Savannah Katter and William Ashburn, both Savannah and William are performing multiple roles in Love/Sick, as well as serving as scholarship students and are part of our work study program. Wow, we keep you guys really busy. Huh? So welcome all. 

Craig Smith: Thank you for having us. 

William Ashburn: Thank you. 

Savannah Katter: Thank you. 

Amanda Schlachter: So I'm super excited and I thought this would be fun for all of us to get together, to talk about our upcoming production. I am fortunate enough to get to direct. So I may bounce in here and there, but I really wanted to get your experience of being a part of this production. So I'm going to kick it off first with Craig, our program manager because I'd love for you to first talk about the process. How we select plays for SCF Theater and really how we came to Love/Sick for our first show back after. Our pandemic lockdown was a year and a half. Yeah, that's crazy. 

Craig Smith: Well it's an ongoing process. Sometimes it takes all year to figure out what we're going to do for the upcoming year, because it's, based off of a few things. First it's based off of who we know is returning. That's been with us in previous semesters. We have this optimism that we may be introduced to new people coming into a semester or new year as we announced our, addition date we don't always know. Who or how many people we're going to have in the beginning of the year, or even at the beginning of a semester. So we try to choose material that has maybe an expandable cast multiple roles, things like that. And we can go from there. We do try to plan for a diverse season offering a variety of types of material from comedy to melodrama, to maybe the classics, maybe a horror or thriller, something more experimental. If we can. Along the same lines we like to offer students who are more technically oriented, a variety of spaces to explore for lights and sound. We do settle on a few options and usually the one play that is the most appropriate for the time. We're zeroing in on tends to rise to the top. And that's kind of how we, go. And I think that's what happened with Love/Sick is we had stacks as you know, over the summer and prior to summer, and we really kind of just came back around to this play a few times. And that was it. So you and I both were fans of John Cariani and Almost Maine, of course. And I didn't really even know. That Love/Sick existed until you brought it to my attention. And then you had ordered it and we read it and we both fell in love with it. That's how we went with it. Plus it was expandable, it's made up of vignettes and it's nine two person scene. So you could really go with four people. Or you could go with 24 people so that's kind of why we chose this play. 

Amanda Schlachter: And this is our only show we're doing this fall. We plan to have two shows in the spring and we'll talk about that in a little bit. But we're very excited to come back. With the actual show, I'm going to toss it over to Savannah. Now, can you tell us a little bit about the show in general? What would you say it was about 

Savannah Katter: loved to so Love/Sick is a collection of nine short plays like Craig said, and it's set in an alternate suburban reality. I would say it's an unromantic comedy about the unglamorous parts of relationships. And John Cariani, the playwright, he does an amazing job of exploring the pain, joy, and the hunger that comes with being in love. And I'm excited to be playing Celia, Kelly, and Abby, 

Amanda Schlachter: can you tell us anything about those characters 

Savannah Katter: so they all. Very different storylines, I would say. So they have very different personalities. Celia is more with the times, she's very. Modern as the word. 

Amanda Schlachter: She's forward thinking, 

Savannah Katter: thinking and Kelly, I would describe her as a Lulu lemon type, a woman. She, has her life together. She's a lawyer. She loves luncheons at her work. 

Amanda Schlachter: You'll all understand when you see the show, 

Savannah Katter: you'll get where I'm coming from. And then Abby is a mother. I'm not a mother, she's a mother she's going through kind of a life crisis at the time, which was. Hit those points. 

Amanda Schlachter: Yeah. Yeah. Well, and it's interesting too. This idea that our show takes place in or around the super center in a suburban reality, and actually one of the things we discussed last night and rehearsal that I really love about this show one, I think it gives us. Honest portrayals of what happens in real love situations. Normally romantic comedies kind of tie it all up in a bow, but we're really exploring the joy that happens with love and then the harder parts of it. But then also this idea of sort of super centers like I'm from Ohio originally. So I think of like the. Super center, you can go to Meijer anybody out there and you, my Midwesterners, you go to Meyer and you can get, your hardware, your groceries, a really nice dinner, your fall clothes, you can get it all and go Christmas. You know, the first time I went to a Meyer, I was like, oh my gosh, I have found heaven's 

Craig Smith: Superstore.

Amanda Schlachter: It is, it is. But I think about those realities of sort of how. People appear on the outside and everything looks so perfect. And of course, in social media reality today, everybody always looks perfect. You know, the highlight reel and yet what is really happening behind closed doors. And I think that's a big piece of what we're all looking to explore and to share with our audience. so I love that. So I'm going to go over to William now. So William, you have an interesting story in terms of coming back to school and we've really loved having you. So can you tell us a little bit about what brought you to SCF Theater? 

William Ashburn: Absolutely. I grew up here in Sarasota. And as many Sarasoteons do I believe after, graduating high school, we want to get out. So I did, for a time, I went to New York for a year, came back left for a couple of years to Oregon and found myself back here through just life. As we have it today I was taking some classes. And for me, it was going to be kind of a semester here. And then I just, I wanted to get away again. I needed to find something I, I really felt after I left Sarasota that first time I'd lost my passion for, theater. So coming back, I took theater appreciation with the wonderful Craig Smith here. And I had a question about. A research paper that I was doing and he asked me straight up when I was with him that day, like, well, what are your plans? And I really said, well, I just want to get out. And it made me stop and have like this kind of shake awake moment of, what did I really want to do? And where did I really wanna go? And I felt like I'd really lost that kind of passionate drive that I had. And so talking with we, I really just came in to ask a question about formatting and ended up talking for an hour about passions and drive and, theater and what my theater experience was and what really would interest me. And I felt that a lot of what was happening here at the SCF Theatre Where things that would be really interested in. I wanted to ask questions. I wanted to grow. I wanted to discover more and with all of our discussion I felt like I had to come back and I had to, really explore what got me into acting in the first place. And I've really felt blessed because I've gotten to come back and really. Delved headstrong back into acting and engrossed myself with him. 

Craig Smith: And I said to him, you know, we have scholarships, he did sleep, we have work study. And, as of now he's full scholarship, he's worked study. I think he has an apartment here. Now. 

William Ashburn: I rent a little bit of the catwalk 

Craig Smith: and the warehouse. Yeah. He stays here all the time. 

Amanda Schlachter: And William, how is it being back? Cause now you really, I mean, I can say both you and Savannah, we keep you all very busy. We utilize your talents because you're both very talented. You're in it on a lot of levels, training, performing, building, all of the above. And so, how is that being sort of back full time?

William Ashburn: It's really amazing, honestly. Coming off of this time where I really did not know what I wanted with life, I was doing a whole bunch of different odd jobs and, I was occupied, but I didn't feel fulfilled. And coming back gave me this chance of reigniting, just a love that I had with finding character and finding truth in those characters. Really sparked just a fire in me and, a fire with, this community that we have here at the SCF Theater. 

Amanda Schlachter: Yeah. And Savannah, you had something as well. You came in for an acting class and you've then sort of stayed and done a variety of things and done some design as well. So what was it that really kind of kept you in the fold with. 

Savannah Katter: So honestly I never thought I would be doing theater again. I got out of high school and there was probably about a year where I was very decided that I couldn't make a career out of acting. So why would I do it? And so for a whole year, I just made myself miserable. Knowing that that's what my heart was telling me. I wanted to move towards and gravitate toward. But then I saw that there was an acting class and I had taken theater appreciation online. So I qualified and I took it. And you were so supportive. I, wouldn't have continued on with theater at SCF, if you weren't my teacher, I'm sure. You encourage me to audition and to be a part of the. plays that you have. And yeah, ever since then, I've taken your voice and diction class. I've taken movement, acting, acting two. So I went just back because of the family here.

Amanda Schlachter: You're gonna make me cry. So you 

Savannah Katter: don't do that. 

Amanda Schlachter: I can't cry. I've got like, at least like six more questions. But I mean to all of our listeners out there to, to give a little plug because we are really SCF proud if you will. But I think that's one of the things that's really unique is that you really do get hands-on. That personal attention were William comes in and asks about formatting. And an hour later has now reconnected about something that, he thought might've been gone the same with an acting class. I just think that's something really special about the program here that I know, I feel really blessed to be a part of. So, William, what about your roles in the, 

William Ashburn: For sure. I play three different roles. I play Ben who is dealing with trying to push his relationship forward. Kind of break into that next level of his relationship. I don't want to spoil it too much, but that's what I'll say about Ben. I'm dealing with Mark who believes he's in just another day of his, well-constructed and. Happy as, he sees it marriage and, comes home to quite a surprise, I would say. And then I got a little bull check and then Jake is, I would say an isolated man who finds a bit of his past going back to a place that I'd say most people can identify with, which is the super center. And finds a bit of a. Past and where his feature goes. I think 

Amanda Schlachter: they're yeah, for our listeners, part of this is there are some interesting twists in the show. So to tell you about the characters, we want to be careful because of course we want you to come see it. But we don't want to give away the endings cause we want you to be able to be a part of the story with us. So Craig, in terms of lighting design and a bit of the process for design can you tell. how do you work through that when you're working on a show with this show, and where you work with students that have a specific interest? I think, that's something really terrific that can happen here. 

Craig Smith: Well, in designing for, this show, for the set and for the lights, for the set, it takes place in or around or near a super center. So what does that mean? It could be Ikea. It could be Meyer. It could be Walmart. It could be Lowe's it could be anything like that. So the idea of how do we go in and out of that reality to these people's homes. So the idea of having. These vignettes live in the displays of a department store or a super center was, was it to get inspiration for these things. You first go to the script. You read the script, see what the, the playwright has in mind. See if it's been done before. And this one had of course several times, but were there floor plans that are very specific to what the needs of what the playwright had in mind for that play. And then also I just do research and look, how did other people face that challenge? And then I sort of mix that into my own ideas and that's how it can. And then of course, how does it fit on the stage? We have very specific dimensions on our stage, so will it fit the 32 by 26 foot stage? So luckily it does. So it's working very well, but we've got nine vignettes that happen in a variety of places. So that's how design came to be. For lighting it has to move from a variety of reality is it takes place at 7:30 PM on a Friday night and an alternate suburban reality. So we keep going back to 7:30 PM when one scene ends we're back at seven 30 for the next one, because that's going on at the same time simultaneously. So with that being creative with how to move from one reality to the next row. Was, the challenge, but I think we met it. I'm, working with , a new freshmen student, Ethan Firmeister. Who started with us this year? Of course. And he's been designing for a while. Little Ethan. He has been, designing I think from high school, but he's been working with Rise Above and Sarasota designing lights for their shows. So when I have someone like him come into the, program, whether he's got experienced or not. That's what he wants to do. He already said that that's what he wants to do, lighting design. So the way I view it as if you come into the program and you know what you want it. You're going to do it fine. Let's find a way for you to do it. So any opportunity to, let him design moving forward. Okay. This is your show. What do you need from me? Let's, see what we can do. And, really that goes with everything stage managing too. You know, if you want to work with sound, you want to be a set designer. Let's figure out a way for you to design these things, to do these things. 

William Ashburn: I really do like that just because it feels almost like an apprenticeship. If you know what you want to do, you can, really flourish and grow in it and in leaps and bounds. 

Craig Smith: Yeah, absolutely. That's the idea is that, you come in knowing what you want to do. We'll find a way to make that happen. And if we have the opportunity to work with you for two years, Then by the time you leave here and you go onto your next college, you're so far ahead of the game. I think, we do hear that from students who have left us and have gone on to other schools, 

Amanda Schlachter: Yeah. We've also heard it with internships a lot. You know, I think our students leave with a real level of professionalism. Hands-on because as, Craig likes to say, there are no divas, 

Craig Smith: there are no divas. 

Amanda Schlachter: Everybody works. 

William Ashburn: I feel the closeness of, the department here really does help with that just because you have. Such high expectations and, you really can't divvy it off to someone else. , if that's what you said you wanted to do, you're doing it right. And that's where you're going to go with. 

Craig Smith: Well, it's a, team effort. it really is. And everybody has a part to play and, if one person falls off that can really break the chain. So, We want people to realize the responsibility that it is. And no matter if you go into theater or whatever you do pass this point, there are certain tools that you're going to learn and going forward in the real world. 

William Ashburn: Absolutely. 

Amanda Schlachter: I've heard, like I remember just like in other businesses, We're in America. They're always like, I love working with theater people because theater people, you know, you gotta be on time. You have to be prepared. You have to all that stuff it's just so transferrable into whatever you do. And the other thing I will just echo cause. Sing your praises and the design team. I'm always just overwhelmed with the sets and lighting that we do here. And everybody is, once they come see a show, they're always like, oh my gosh, some people envy me that I get to work with you. 

Craig Smith: Well, I'm like, you know, at the same time, even though we are college, we're young and all of that, there is no reason we can't put on a professional production. We should be just as good as anybody else. So that's how I view it. Everything is just as good as, the pros. 

William Ashburn: I think the hunger is there from all of the students as well. They absolutely don't see it as, A amateur show in any kind of way. Not just the SCFcommunity here, but we live in such a community where the arts are so pronounced that we, want the best top tier performance each time and production each time.

Craig Smith: Absolutely. 

Amanda Schlachter: The standard is high. 

Craig Smith: It is. 

Amanda Schlachter: So Savannah talking about your roles, is there a role out of your three in this show that you resonate with the most? 

Savannah Katter: Yes. I really resonate with Celia because she knows what she wants. She's very decisive, but then it's kind of coming to the realization of. Your life for you, or do you want to please other people? So I feel like that's something that's very relatable. Everybody has gone through it where maybe you do certain things because other people expected of you. So I love my scene with her and. The playwright, he does an amazing job, a beautiful job of writing her experience in a very truthful way. 

Amanda Schlachter: Yeah. There's something about John Cariani's writing that the musicality, the rhythm. One of the things he says in the script, because these are vignettes. And so some people are playing multiple roles. He says, don't have your actors play, quote, unquote characters, you know, character, voices, things like that. If they play each role, truthfully, they will naturally be different than the other because the needs are different because the rhythm, the cadence is different. And so that's what I love about his writing is you're just like, Amazing. Yeah. And it's, and all of a sudden it's funny and charming and has this way of, he has this way of like, I think like he acts like expressionism, like these physicality that comes out of how you feel. And then all of a sudden it drops into this. Just very real, very honest, very truthful. Oh, Nelly, what just happened? You know what I mean? Yeah. So he's quite brilliant in that way. And so was there something that's been challenging? Was there a role or, oh 

Savannah Katter: yes. Amanda, you already know Abby she's a very challenging character. Basically she's, a mother. I'm not a mother. I'm not married. I don't have that experience, but her character really goes through this time in her life where she just feels lost. Like she is lost in her relationship and in life, she just is confused. All of these dreams that she had. They're just kind of put on the back burner. And so, although she was challenging and at first I didn't really think I related to her at all. The more I looked into it, the more I could relate relationships and people in my own life who I can reflect on and get that honest emotion, I guess. So without exposing too much at the scene, then. 

Amanda Schlachter: Yeah, that's great. Cause that's always, how do we find ourselves? Because even if you're not a mother, you can understand responsibility and taking care of someone. And then this is a scene that really is about losing yourself. I would say it's the vignettes called? Where was I? And it really is the, I would say the, most truthful, simple, clear. drama of the nine. And so for that, finding those bridges as I like to call them into what's really happening, which I think you're doing with every rehearsal 

Savannah Katter: and you're challenging me because I used to always play the funny character. That was the go-to people would look at me and be like, Savannah, you look funny. So, so. I started acting class with you. You only gave me dramatic scenes, I think. And you look at me and you, see something more than I ever saw in myself. And I'm not going to say any names. 

William Ashburn: Well, I think we take past ourselves a lot and I think something that's great is you do let us grow into other shades or, personas that we would never really see ourselves as it is. It's a great experience.

Amanda Schlachter: Yeah. I mean, although you're funny and that's clear and you have that committee. I was like, oh no, this girl had a lot of depth, let's get her in that. And you explore it beautifully. And I think, I think that that's one of the beautiful things about training and why I obviously really support training and acting classes is I think you need those. Places to be able to explore all those facets and see, because sometimes in the professional world you can get sort of typed out and then you never really know all the other possibilities for yourself. And then we have, the great Meryl Streep's of the world that, can transform, but if you don't have the opportunity to play with that, how do you ever know. There are schools of thought that they don't believe in acting training and I'm like, I don't know that you create actors, but I think you give people tools to explore that within themselves. And then they develop if they want to, so that's what I see you all doing.

Craig Smith: That's how it ties into how we choose shows and why we choose certain shows is that we know who we have. That's been with us and what can we do to challenge them? So choosing material that, we can already think of roles for specific people who have worked really hard. And we see. Potential and how they're going to grow and give them something more challenging each time. So that is in our minds when we're looking at shows, 

Amanda Schlachter: right. We always have that, core group. And the other thing is we do have community members that come in and audition and that's something that's unique and special about this show. We have an alumni who's in Love/Sick. Who's also. Directing with us. We also have one of our retirees from SCF, from human resources. Who's making her stage appearance. So it's, just really exciting. It's an eclectic mix. And I think we all learn from each other. So William, in this idea of challenging what has been most challenging for you about coming back to acting after taking a break?

William Ashburn: Oh, That's a great question. Coming back after almost a decade away. One of the things that has been really challenging is your expectations of things you thought would be, I guess, aged out of you. These habits that you, still have, that you would hope that just from life experience, you'd. Age out of you you'd grow out of them on stage, but once you're back on stage and you hear the notes of William, this is a tendency you do, this is something that kind of breaks your character. It gets me in my head and, derives me away from the truth of the character. So it's something that takes practice and it's all about getting back into practicing. Your character is getting into your characters and away from William Ashburn and into Ben, into Mark, into Jake and finding their truths and their habits and not so much my own. 

Amanda Schlachter: Sure. And I think that's a lifelong process because I think those. Habits in terms of when we get on stage, I always say I grabbed the air. That's my thing. When I act I'm like, I don't know what's up there, but somehow my hand is just pulling. Like, I don't know. And I'll watch myself after whatever 25 years and all of a sudden. The arm is grabbing and it's usually I'm trying to ground myself. So we all have that, but it is a conscious and there is that moment. That's part of rehearsal to where we are in our heads and we do have to consciously think, and we have to do that enough until we're free of it. It's an interesting aspect. And what have you taken away from the process so far? 

William Ashburn: The process I think is a key word here, just because it is. Journey. And we've had such a, great deal of time to work on this, particular production. So this is another one of my challenge that I think that I have to go to work on is getting away from result oriented acting where you, see an end product that you want and, and performance you want to give out. And move away from that and, trust the growth and trust the experience you're having throughout rehearsal in the discoveries you have throughout that time with your scene partners, with the tech and the production, as it comes all together upon weeks and weeks and getting. Result after all of that experience, I did snippets of small film things while I was away from acting. And it was very different as, they say, you know, here's your words, we're going on in a day or 30 minutes or an hour. And let's see what that is, you know? And, coming back to having that growth is such a different Experience because you, get to go through the steps more, you get to find different discoveries more and really meld your self into the character more so, that that's something I've taken away is being able to, grow and meld, away from myself into these characters. Much more 

Amanda Schlachter: good. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That process is so important. And I think back to the training idea, we're all so result oriented. You know, younger when you're younger, sometimes there is that here, do this be happy and that's, really not a true, craft of acting. And I think about, you mentioned film and I know Craig did film for a long time as well. I haven't done as much, but I think about those people that are like researching their roles, for, when they're doing a major film and they're literally in research mode and prepping their character for six months a year leading into getting on set. I'm like talk about that process because it's very, very lonely. You have to really prep alone. I think that's why I like theater. We do it together. So Craig just so our listeners out there can learn a little bit about our program here at SCF and SCF theater. Can you talk a little bit more about what else we offer in terms of training classes, 

Craig Smith: we've, we've been at the college since its earliest incarnation as Manatee Junior College. Currently in our 56 season. students seeking degree and want to focus on theater, have the opportunity to take a variety of courses. We offer acting courses, stage movement, voice, and diction script analysis, theater appreciation and production involvement. Plus we do offer classes once in a while. As, the demand calls for like a stage makeup and things like. Speaking of production involvement, students have the opportunity to be involved in up to eight or more productions produced in our program for, two years. So there have been times that we have done six shows, five shows. You never know. But to be able to do. Fully realized main stage productions to do eight of them before you graduate. And then you go to your junior year at another school. You are so far ahead of the game. And you're doing a variety of things. You're not just maybe, acting, you're also building the set, you know, diva free zone. So you're painting your sweeping whatever, has to happen. So everybody leaves here with a well rounded background. Also, students who contribute their time and energy to the program, first of all, they're treasures to us. So we want to offer as much as we can or offer a variety of things. So a couple of things we. Induct students into the National Theater Honor Society, Delta CYA, mega, which is set up for community colleges. And then during spring break, we have this wonderful New York City honors tour where we are in the process of planning. We were looking forward to going across fingers. . So what this is is we, take our students who have worked so hard and they've put in countless hours, whether it's working in the shop or working in rehearsals or, just maintain their GPA, we take them to New York and we see Broadway and off-Broadway productions. We have backs with creatives, professional creatives. Tours of, spaces up there, whatever we can do just to immerse ourselves in professional theater at its finest. So we have a few things great classes, great productions, great opportunities. Come check us out. 

Amanda Schlachter: Yeah. Do you want to share a little bit about what we're doing this spring show wise season announcement.

Craig Smith: Yes. So we are planning our season for our spring semester. So what we're looking for in January, we will be holding auditions. It is that Wednesday. What is the date for that? 

Amanda Schlachter: I don't know. 

Craig Smith: I'm not sure either. But the first Wednesday of school starting, we will have auditions

Amanda Schlachter: like us on SCF Theater on Facebook and the audition poster will be there.

Savannah Katter: Also follow us on Instagram at scf.theatre 

Craig Smith: there you go, there you go. Yes. So we'll have these things posted, but we're going to be doing The Shadow Box. So auditions will be for, The Shadow Box and then very exciting. We will be doing a play called Peter/Wendy or our last production. So if you are familiar with Peter pan, maybe you've heard of him maybe heard of Wendy. It could be about them sort of Kalita. Yeah. Which it's a, it's a lovely play sort of a re-imagined. Of the, the Berry story. So looking very forward to, that a very interesting experience type of play too. So very excited. 

Amanda Schlachter: Terrific. I know I can't wait. I'll be here. I'll be here in January. Yes. And also we do have lifelong learning as well. I'll add that we do have from the community, that's something you can take classes with us and be a part of our classes that are for credit, but if you want to take for non-credit. Much lower rate and you are welcome to come join them. We have multiple lifelong learning students with us right now in acting and script analysis. And it's really been terrific. 

William Ashburn: I've enjoyed working with them. One I've worked with pretty recently. Katie has been fantastic and a pleasure to work with, and I believe I'm working with Rebecca coming up. 

Amanda Schlachter: William is working with our two lifelong learning students. Who are both professional actors that have come back just to literally brush up on skills, which is what you do all the time.

William Ashburn: Yeah. Training work on getting those habits out of you and getting more into your character. 

Amanda Schlachter: That's true. Absolutely. So William, back to Love/Sick, what do you think our audience is going to take away from seeing Love/Sick? 

William Ashburn: My hopes in my thoughts are that they take away that, love in all shapes and all forms is a journey is a process. And it's not always sunshine and butterflies. You know, it's got highs and lows. We talked about Almost Maine earlier, which has kind of, I think this a bit more chipper kind of message. Through it where I think identify a little bit more with Love/Sick, just because it seems like I'm about to be 30 next year. So it feels like a growth maturity and you get to see love without the rose colored glasses. If you will. Even though a lot of these scenes are absurdist and they go in places that maybe we wouldn't think of the standard, everyday relationships is having these jumps go to they are very real in the sense that, love is. work and is a process and is high and is also low at many points. We talked about, we've had these days of, filtering, intimacy. And so I hope we get to see just a little bit of the filter taken off and, get to laugh about it, but also get to see that the truth of, relationships and intimacy.

Amanda Schlachter: Hmm. I love that. I love that too. Yeah. And I keep thinking there's two thoughts that keep running through my head about the show is one really being able to find the beautiful. In all the different colors of it, because there is just something in that tapestry that is really beautiful. If you can take a step back, even in the hard, the hard, you know and then this idea too, that is a theme. I feel pulls through the show is this idea. The human spirit and how we always begin again, there is this thing about being human and I mean, gosh, after the last year and a half, two years, and you know, just more on a much more global level, but just this, here we are, we're back doing podcasts here. We are creating live theater and, there's something about us, even in the. Times, and I've seen this with people I've known, and relationships that were very difficult, but they're set some point they kind of, most people choose to. And I guess that's the message dust themselves off and begin again. And that's kind of one of the thoughts that John Cariani he really does express throughout the play is for good or bad, you know, it begins again. So, Savannah, why should people come see our show? 

Savannah Katter: Because it's going to be a great time. That's why the show. No um, it is going to be a great time, but I think that you should come see the show because it's a play that can resonate. Everyone in some way, shape or form. And it's, a great night out on the town and theater. You can, bring a date with you. Bring two bring three. I'm not judging you. But yeah, it's just going to be a great night. It's a beautiful play and we can't spoil too much for you, but yeah, you might cry. 

Amanda Schlachter: You might need a good cry to 

Savannah Katter: go home and think about it and be like, wow. 

Craig Smith: Cathartic. 

William Ashburn: And that was great. Yeah. I think getting something that interested me when I, talked to Craig, when I came into this program was I wanted to do plays that don't just say, Hey, and that's the. I have a good day enjoy your night. It asks questions. And if you, really want to have a great time and enjoy the show and laugh and cry and everything, but have a discussion after all that, what, are these characters going through? Is that something that if I go through that in my life, what will I do? And I think that this, production really does ask those questions. What do humans do when they face these major questions that most of us in life will face? 

Amanda Schlachter: Yeah. Not to mention that you are supporting a fabulous. Theater program here on the Suncoast and wonderful students. So that's just, another, plug you should feel good if you purchase a ticket here at SCF and any of our performing arts programs, just saying. I'd really like to thank our guests today. Craig William and Savannah, it truly is a blessing to get to work with all of you. And I'd like to thank Dr. Robyn Bell, who created this podcast and works tirelessly not only with SCF Music. I don't know if people do this a lot, but I'm going to take it because it's our podcast. And I think we should honor her in this. It does a lot for the music department conducts multiple orchestras. And then not only sets us up with all of this beautiful equipment, but then spends hours editing it and making it sound terrific for all of you out there. She's really dedicated to arts, not only here at our school, but up and down the Suncoast. So I'd really like to thank her as well. And thank you to our listeners for joining us here on the Suncoast Culture Club. And we hope that you will come check out SCF Theater, get involved with a class audition for a show and definitely come and see our touching and thought provoking production of John Cariani's Love/Sick thanks so much.