Nine Monmouth College students to direct John Cariani's Love/Sick, Nov. 22-24

by Barry McNamara

Monmouth, Ill. (11/12/2024) — John Cariani is back for an encore at Monmouth College, and nine student directors are tackling the production of his work.

From Nov. 22-24, the theatre department will stage Cariani's Love/Sick in the Hewes Library Studio Theatre (formerly the Barnes Electronic Classroom on the building's lower level).

"It's been on my radar for a while," said Monmouth theatre professor Todd Quick of the play, which is a series of vignettes. "Like nearly everyone else a decade ago, I fell in love with John Cariani's better-known play, Almost, Maine, which has been produced here at Monmouth (in 2018). Cariani is a great contemporary writer. He writes characters that feel very natural, so it's very attractive for young actors. They can take on his roles while also feeling like they're not acting, which is often a big goal of ours in our training."

Most of them will be relative newcomers to the Monmouth stage, as many of the department's seasoned acting veterans are directing, including Edrass J. Chavez-Alvarado, Jadyn Craig, Colin Kreipe, Calista Lythgoe, Dareann Pettis, Eric Pio, Emma Romano, Molly White and Samantha Mejias Zigmant.

Quick said the Cariani work is well-suited for a group effort.

"In Love/Sick, you have a series of, essentially, small plays, connected through theme, location, circumstance," he said. "But the scenes function independently, which is so perfect for our first-time directors."

An un-rom-com

Called "a darker cousin to Almost, Maine" Love/Sick had its world premiere in that state in 2013. It's set on a Friday night in an alternate suburban reality, and it explores the pain and the joy that comes with being in love. Full of imperfect lovers and dreamers, Love/Sick is an unromantic comedy for the romantic in everyone.

Up first in the series of vignettes is the one that Zigmant is directing, featuring two very passionate strangers in a grocery store.

"My scene is called 'Obsessive-Impulsive,'" said Zigmant. "It's very much a comedic scene, and it's very fun. The actors (Mia Martino and Robert Robison) are very good together."

As she makes her directorial debut, Zigmant has dedicated a portion of her time to simply making sure the actors are comfortable with what she called "one of the two most intimate scenes in the play."

Sometimes, when there are brand new characters in every scene, actors will play multiple roles, but Zigmant said that's not the case with Monmouth's production of Love/Sick.

"There are different actors for every scene," she said. "This is the biggest production we've had, with more than 40 people involved."

Zigmant is excited for the opportunity to direct, but she'll soon return to acting herself.

"I'll be attending the URTA conference in January in Chicago," she said of an audition event put on by the University Resident Theatre Association. "You audition for grad school programs there. My goal is to continue on in acting after Monmouth."

Lythgoe has the same goal as Zigmant, planning to go straight into acting after graduating in 2026.

"My scene is about a married couple that are feeling disconnected. One's a stay-at-home mom, and the other is a businessman who works all day. They struggle to communicate. There's definitely some comedy mixed in with the drama, but it's one of the more dramatic scenes in the play."

Lythgoe encourages theatregoers to check out the new crop of acting talent on campus.

"It stars a lot of our newer freshmen, so there's a fresh set of people to see."

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Monmouth College will present "Love/Sick" at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 22-23 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 24 in the Hewes Library Studio Theatre on campus. Tickets can be purchased online at monmouthcollege.edu/box-office. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, and $6 for students, faculty and staff with a Monmouth College ID.

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