In Vertigo Productions’ latest show, “The Seagullman,” an oil-addicted, anthropomorphic seagull complicates two Coast Guard volunteers’ mission to save the world.
The show premiered Friday at Shanley Pavilion with around two dozen audience members.
Inspired by a photo of a pelican sitting atop a rusty oil well in Texas waters, Communication senior and playwright Leo Kurland said he wanted to explore the impact of individuals in fighting the global environmental crisis.
“Sometimes I feel like there’s nothing impactful I can do as an individual,” Kurland said in his playwright’s note. “Other times, usually while creating art, I realize there is a real and substantial impact one person can have on their community (and maybe even the whole world).”
In the show, Coast Guard volunteers Marina (Communication junior Poseybelle Stoeffler) and Cordy (Communication sophomore Mila Levit) are assigned to report on Houston Trinity Bay’s abandoned oil wells and the threats they may pose to the environment. On their mission, they encounter the Seagullman (Communication sophomore Felix Gaddie) and his stubborn lawyer J.B. Waters (Communication junior Kate McCracken), a duo that pushes back against Marina and Cordy’s operation.
Kurland said the play is not meant to invoke horror for the climate crisis. Rather, it is meant to intertwine humorous, personal scenes that uplift nature, while bringing the environmental crisis into a realistic perspective.
In conjunction with their values, the team sought to limit waste in all processes of production.
Communication junior and director Emerson Steady said they worked with costume designer Laura Fajardo-Riascos to thrift and borrow pieces in order to be as sustainable as possible.
“In bringing to life this play about human’s relationship with nature, our production team wanted to make sure we also walked the walk,” Steady said.
Communication sophomore and producer Eliza Huang said Shanley Pavilion is a unique theatrical space that allows for varied lighting and seating to create different sets for each show.
For the set, the crew used recycled materials and held a waste drive to gather move-in trash.
“The Seagullman” combined bits of scrap paper to create the backdrop of the ocean and a lightweight boat that sailed across the stage. Cast members also held fish toys that, when squeezed, could squirt fish oil onto each other.
Vertigo Productions is the only theater group on campus dedicated to original student-written works. Stoeffler said these productions create a tight-knit community that can’t usually be found in more traditional works.
“I love doing student-written productions because you get to work with the writer of the story,” Stoeffler said. “It’s cool to have additional input in the room on the story and I love that these characters are still being built.”
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