Fordham College at Lincoln Center’s (FCLC) theatre studio lineup this season includes an eclectic mix of acclaimed playwrights and emerging student writers and directors.

Zachary Hodges, FCLC ’15, directs “Danny and The Deep Blue Sea,” which is written by John Patrick Shanley, who has also penned “Doubt” and “Savage in Limbo.”

“Danny and The Deep Blue Sea” premiered at Circle in the Square Theater in 1984 and tells the story of Roberta and Danny, two lonely and damaged individuals who find love and redemption in each other’s company. The production will run from Oct. 16-18 in The White Box Studio Theatre.

On Oct. 27-29, a double bill of student work will include two one-act plays written by Fordham students. The two shows will be performed together at The Veronica Lally Kehoe Studio Theatre. Director and writer of “Darling Can You Answer the Door”, Tomer Adorian, is set to direct “A Story of Small Histories”, which is written by Keenan Hurley, FCLC ’17.

“‘A Story of Small Histories’ features a group of traveling players who tell the story of a forgotten southern town, which, after major flooding, now has a population of eight people,” Hurley said.

The second play to be featured in the double bill is a play entitled “Pilot’s Wings,” which is directed by Sara Lyons and written by Garrett David Kim’s, FCLC ’16.

“[The play] is about a boy with autism and the important people in his life,” Kim said. “A lot of the play is about exploring this boy as a person. The play is framed as a journey through his memory and his mind. The main character talks to the audience, in a way that differs from how he talks in real life.”

“Mr. Marmalade,” which is written by Noah Haidle, tells the story of 4-year-old Lucy and her troubling relationship with her imaginary friend, Mr. Marmalade, a bipolar, cocaine-addicted adult. Drew Brandon Jones, FCLC ’16, directs this black comedy, which will run from Nov. 6-8 at The White Box Studio Theatre. 

Andrew Watkins, FCLC ’15, directs Henrik Ibsen’s classic “Hedda Gabler.” The show tells the story of Hedda, a newly married woman who experiences the opposite of marital bliss, and wrestles with depression in this realist play. The production will run from Dec. 4-6 in The White Box Studio Theatre. 

The season will close with Elizabeth Egloff’s “The Swan,” an absurdist comedy translated from Molière about a swan who starts to live in a woman’s home and who eventually becomes a human being and her lover. Directed by Jose Gamo, FCLC ’16, “The Swan” will run from Dec. 8-10 in the Veronica Lally Kehoe Studio Theatre. 

The studio shows offer students the rare opportunity to show their work and talent to a living, breathing audience. “Everything about the shows, from the costumes, to the sets, to the directing or acting, is a product of student effort,” Carla Jackson, Fordam Theatre program administrator, said.

This studio season, students writing and directing plays have found this experience very rewarding. “The best part about seeing your work in the studio shows is getting to watch people who have worked on your projects. It is always a great experience watching people admire the work you created,” Hurley said. 

“I’ve become very interested in Ibsen and chose to direct ‘Hedda Gabler’, even though I knew that it’s a notoriously difficult play to do,” Watkins said. “I wanted to challenge myself as a director.”

Student directors and writers hope that audiences will take away something new from the plays of this studio season. For Kim, he hopes that “Pilot’s Wings” will give audiences a new perspective on autistic children. “I want audiences to see people with autism in a new light, that differs from the negative way they’re typically depicted in the media,” Kim said. 

IF YOU GO

Danny and the Deep Blue Sea
When: Oct. 16-18
Where: The White Box Studio Theatre

A Story of Small Histories
When: Oct. 27-29
Where: The Veronica Lally Kehoe Theatre

Pilot’s Wings
When: Oct. 27-29
Where: Veronica Lally Kehoe Theatre

Mr. Marmalade
When: Nov. 6-8
Where: The White Box Studio Theatre 

The Swan
When: Dec. 8-10
Where: The Veronica Lally Kehoe Theater

All Studio Shows are free.