In our latest guest post, senior Ranger Puterbaugh discusses his experience of directing the play “THE LEGACY,” which opens tomorrow at the Cave Theater.  You can find ticket and show time information at the Ball State Theater and Dance website.

Compelling stories have always interested me. From an early age, I found myself drawn to complex and deep stories with unique characters and deeper meanings. I loved everything about them: the writing, the characters, the potential, the visual. All of it. That’s why I became so interested in both Theatre and English in my early years. Through both of these areas, I could explore the stories I loved in many ways. When I began college, it just seemed like a natural course to pursue a double major in both Theatre and English.

This semester, I had the wonderful privilege of directing a show in the Blackbox theatre, a small intimate theatre, for the Department of Theatre and Dance. The play that I submitted to direct was entitled THE LEGACY. This short one-act play follows the story of several characters dealing with life in a post-apocalyptic world where the government has taken control over every aspect of life. These people, who have only a slim chance and hope of escaping this life, have begun to lose their senses and sanity. Now, having been moved into a new house by order of the government, the characters are about to face a grueling choice that pits their humanity against survival.

When I first read the script, the powerful story moved me, and I knew I wanted to direct this show. So, for the past 4 weeks, I have been working with a talented cast and crew of Theatre students to make this show come to life. We explored not only what drives the world and the characters, but also the deeper meanings of the play. My theatre background helped me in visualizing the story and staging the actors to best convey the moving experience. While, on the other hand, my English background helped me construct the world from the text and find the deeper themes and meanings. Because of my understanding of the language and symbols, I developed a concept for the show that utilizes colors, or lack thereof.

If you enjoy theatre, come see THE LEGACY. If you enjoy action, come see THE LEGACY. If you enjoy symbols, come see THE LEGACY. If you enjoy story, come see THE LEGACY.