As a sophomore at Emerson College, Srda Vasiljevic has already had an impressive amount of experience in the directing world. Starting in high school with 2 one-act plays, assistant directing a musical, and directing a full length play his senior year. So, it’s not too hard to believe that out of 11 plays submitted to RareWorks last semester, Srda’s plan for Sugar Witch was one of 3 chosen to be apart of the fall lineup.
As the director, Srda pitched the show along with his concept, theme, and the entire production staff he would work with if chosen. But before he could do that, he spent hours researching shows before he came across Sugar Witch and then read the show 10 times to make sure he was well versed in everything Sugar Witch.
Sugar Witch “is a dark southern gothic drama about a family dealing with a curse that has been place over them for the last 100 years and because of the curse, there has been a murder,” explains Vasiljevic. The Theater Studies Directing major with a minor in Leadership says, “I like a show that makes you think and [makes] someone feel uncomfortable when watching. I think it’s a really cool emotion to bring up in people.”
As director, Srda is “the creative overseer of the project” and runs everything from rehearsals to the technical crew. Every aspect of the play reports to him all in hopes of creating a unified vision and message to present to the audience. It is a large role to take on, but one that has a payoff worth the effort. The satisfaction of knowing the “concrete vision people are seeing on stage is something that you brought to life all by yourself” is immeasurable for Vasiljevic.
This is not to say the making of the play is any less interesting. For Srda, the most exciting part so far has been working with the cast. With a cast of only six, there have been many bonding sessions along with all the rehearsals. Vasiljevic also likes that “the show has six really strong characters and a lot of times in shows you have one strong character and everybody else supports…so it’s been awesome working with the cast and helping develop these characters.” You can get a unique look behind the scenes of the production if you check out their Tumblr.
At times directing can get very difficult because unlike acting, you must juggle every aspect of the show. For Srda, the hardest part is “keeping focused on one aspect while also paying attention to all the other aspects of the show and making sure that each aspect is getting enough attention so that it’s a good experience for all involved.” This is why Vasiljevic advises all aspiring directors “to pick a project that you are passionate about,” without passion, you will not be able to stick through the entire process.
Although Sugar Witch is not done yet, Srda already has big plans. He hopes that by the end of his career at Emerson, he will have “directed a play for each of the 5 troops on campus.” He has many ideas, but is revealing little about the specifics, so you will just have to wait and see what he comes up with next!
Until then, you can see Sugar Witch on Sunday November 6th at one of their shows. The first at 2 and second at 7, but you must reserve tickets on the RareWorks website, they are going quickly! If you want to learn even more about it check out the Facebook page for more information.
Photo: Srda with the cast in a group hug by Mallory Martin.