| Contact |
Anne Collins
|
|---|
For senior BFA student Courtney Plati, acting and directing go hand in hand.
“Being an actor makes me a better director, and being a director makes me a better actor,” she explained. “Studying methods of acting gives me a better vocabulary for helping actors realize their full potential… it’s all about filling your toolbox, and Salem State does a great job of that.”
Earlier this year, Plati and several colleagues competed in the Region 1 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in western Connecticut. Six Salem State students were honored with awards for their work at the festival, and Plati’s directing award earned her an invitation to the national festival in Washington, DC this month.
The Andover native took notice of Salem State as the only four-year public university in New England with a National Association of Schools of Theatre accreditation. Arriving on campus, she found what she describes as a gem of a program. “The training and connections that I’ve received here are invaluable. When a Salem State actor goes to an audition, they have a reputation for holding themselves with integrity and professionalism. The department does an outstanding job of fostering young professionals in that way.”
A frequent presence on the Salem State stage, Plati’s turning point as a performer came as an understudy for the character of Rose of Sharon in The Grapes of Wrath, directed by faculty member Peter Sampieri. She immediately felt a connection to her character. “Rose grows from a young girl into a woman through all of this hardship. I connected so deeply with her arc.” When she was called upon to give a performance, she recalls, “It was the first time that I truly felt like an artist.”
The following year, Sampieri played another pivotal mentoring role for Plati as her instructor for a theatre styles course. “We got to do intensive scenework and learn how to direct and block ourselves even without a director. Looking back, the course was a precursor to me diving into directing.”
Plati is still finding her directorial style, but she feels most comfortable when she’s cultivating a spirit of collaboration. “Communication and creativity go hand in hand,” she explains. “I need the actors’ input as intelligent artists with insights and experiences I may not have. A director’s purpose isn’t to make her vision and choices come true; it’s to serve the work and make it the best it can be. Collaboration is a key component of that.”
As she heads to Washington DC, Plati takes the spirit of collaboration with her, excited to connect with fellow artists and soak up every new experience. She encourages new students to develop the same attitude during their undergraduate work in the theatre program. “Take advantage of the wealth of knowledge from your faculty,” she advises. “Foster a connection with each of them, because that’s the nature of this industry.”