Nestled in the basement between Snyder and Phillips Halls, the RCAH Theater is home to the Roial Players, a student theater group that has a niche for anyone.
The Roial Players put on a variety of plays and improv comedy shows each semester, all of which are put together by students.
Roial stands out from other theater groups on campus mainly because it is 100 percent student run. Students have the opportunity to direct, write, work backstage, compose music and design advertising for the productions.
They are based within the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, but students of all majors are encouraged to try out.
Their primary goal is to create an open and interactive environment where students from all backgrounds feel comfortable and able to express their creativity.
“We bring people together through theater, but we don’t have just theatre majors, we have all different types of people doing all different types of things,” said arts and humanities sophomore Kristi Pollum.
Members of Roial have also expressed that it provides a welcoming atmosphere to explore new areas or continue in an area students feel passionate about.
The environment is relaxed and students can share their creativity and express themselves freely.
“There’s no judgment here,” media and information junior Savannah Smith said. “People can always be themselves. ... It’s just the best kind of people come here and people are always welcome.”
In addition to the variety of opportunities for involvement, Roial also aims to appeal to a wide range of audience. Their repertoire includes improv comedy shows, one-act productions, a variety of plays and a talent showcase. Roial provides students with the opportunity to try their hand at writing plays as well. They frequently put on shows written by students.
This previous weekend the Roial Players performed a couple of their one-act plays in the RCAH Theater.
One-act productions are short scenes from various works that run about 15-20 minutes, according to executive director in training and professional writing junior Lauren Gaynor.
The plays will consist of four scenes, each directed by a pair of students.
Directing a show as a student has its challenges, but these student directors believe that with their directing experience they are learning valuable lessons outside of the classroom.
“On a professional level, Roial has taught me organizational skills and how to handle everything being student run,” Gaynor said. “We don’t have a professor or an adult telling you ‘this is what you have to do.’ We’re doing it all ourselves.”
