Entering his senior year, Hamilton Turner has a lot on his plate. Between a full class schedule, directing a show and Underwear Society—the student run sketch comedy group—Turner has hit the ground running. Turner recently sat down with the SFUADcast to talk about his upcoming projects. Last week, Underwear Society, which has been active for 13 years going back to the CSF days, held auditions for the new season. Turner is joined by Jacey Ellis, Michael Pepp and Darrell “DLou” Luther, as the elder statesmen of the group. Starting last year, Underwear Society took a unique turn in casting CWR major Ellis and CMP major DLou. Turner hopes to continue that trend of branching out across campus. “There’s an interesting thing to be said about keeping it open to the entire campus,” said Turner. “That opens the door to a lot of things that we can do.” An even fresher element for the new year is Underwear Society inching towards a more improv-based entertainment, rather than what has been traditionally scripted comedy. Turner directed Small Craft Warnings, a one act by Tennessee Williams, last semester after being encouraged by the Performing Arts Department. He returns this semester to direct Hotline by Elaine May, a dramedy surrounding a suicide hotline. “I think that it will play well with some of the other shows in the season,” he said, “because they are all completely different.” Aside from senior Matt McMillan, who stars in the show, Turner is excited that the cast mostly consists of freshmen and transfer students, singling out Madeleine Garcia in particular. “She had a really interesting take on the character, which is what I was drawn to, that’s why I cast her,” he said. “[Her performance] was really simple, really instinctual, I’m really excited...

When a play opens on a man’s hospital deathbed there isn’t a transparent opportunity for comedy readily available. In a different work, perhaps, the undeniably grim theme of death would have been spun into sugar by the power of love or given supposedly weighty significance by various characters’ profound reflections on human mortality. But The Lyons, Nicky Silver’s play centering on family dysfunction, which opened on March 27 at the Santa Fe Playhouse and will continue to run through April 13, isn’t a play about people with delusions of idealistic outcomes.

SFUAD Interim Performing Arts Chair Victor Talmadge discusses his acting career and his hopes for his student actors going forward.

Creative Writing senior Sara Malinowski reflects on why her New York Arts program internship with Blessed Unrest was a dream come true.

Shenyse Harris discusses acting, SFUAD’s Performing Arts Department and her role in Our Lady of 121st Street.