Jen Stephenson and Alison Terry have created a flexible whirlwind.
Those are the words Terry says are reasonable to describe the piece she and Stephenson are working on, titled "Rice For Breakfast."
"I think it will be genuinely unlike anything anyone has experienced theatrically," Stephenson said. "No one has ever seen it before because it's different every time."
She is a senior at UNM majoring in theater.
She begins her show by shuffling three groups of papers with the titles of her original songs, actions and monologues on them, after which she draws one of each to perform different "cycles."
"Part of what I think is fascinating about the piece as a whole is that the order changes the whole tone of the show," Terry said. "While the show is very much derived from Jen's experience, I think that there are lines through the show that people can relate to. Because the material presented is so varied, I think everyone will find something to relate to."
Stephenson said she wants her pieces to affect the audience.
"The pieces can be personal, so it's hard for them not to have an effect. As for what that effect is, I don't know, but I'm excited to find out," she said. "Honestly, I really just want it to affect them, whether negatively or positively."
Stephenson, who has been passionate about theater since the age of eight, found she was often typecast as older characters in traditional theater. An assignment in a performance art class at UNM inspired her to expand her talent.
"I'm totally in love with theatre, and it's really rare that I get roles that really challenge me and entice me," Stephenson said. "Original performance art and everything I could bring into it was really exciting. It was fun to be able to play some younger, more serious roles."
She approached Terry, who she had worked with on a play a few years before, to be the outside eye she needed to perfect her art.
Terry said she was excited to see what Stephenson would come up with if left to her own devices.
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Stephenson said what she came up with was a cross between performance art, basic theatric monologues and an open mic night. Stephenson's themes include relationships and the tension of walking up to an open mic.
Terry and Stephenson said the show is a good mixture of comedy and drama because each piece has a little of each.
Terry said she likes creating original pieces.
"One of my true loves is workshopping new work, straight theater or performance art because it's very different from picking up a piece that has already been produced," she said. "I think my goal as a director is to continue working in ways that honor and respect the collaborative process and to continue learning new ways to do that."
Stephenson said she gets lost in her performances.
"It becomes sort of like a game I'm playing," she said. "At the end of it I feel an immense high."
Her goal is to do theater in any way possible for the rest of her life.
"I think it can only get bigger and better as I grow," she said.
