With Florida State University (FSU) being in the top 10 percent of the country for theater and No. 1 in Florida, there are many opportunities to get started. However, even without being a theater major, there are plenty of options. One incredible experience students should take up on campus is joining White Mouse Productions, a theater company that students created. President and Artistic Director, Liam Wirsansky, is here today to speak on everything related to the theater company and its essential contribution to FSU’s theater programs.
Her Campus (HC): Thank you for letting me interview you! Please introduce yourself and your role in White Mouse Productions.
Liam Wirsansky (LW): Thank you for having me! My name is Liam Wirsansky, and I am the Artistic Director of White Mouse Productions. In addition to being a graduate student in FSU’s School of information studying to be a librarian, I am also the STEM Libraries Graduate Assistant at Dirac Library. I curate each semester’s season, manage the company’s administration, oversee the Admin/Communication Executive Board, and direct the special projects the company pursues.
HC: That’s incredible! Now, a question that I have had for a while, I’ve always been curious about the name. Why the name White Mouse? Where did this originate from?
LW: Our name comes from the code name of World War II spy Nancy Wake. We are inspired by her daring exploits and how she used her talents and abilities to fight for what she believed in. We are doing the same thing by furthering education about her and others like her who have been lost in history. We believe that theatre is one of the most effective ways to engender change. It helps our society because it allows individuals to recognize and confront what is happening and take action.
HC: It’s great that you give a voice to those beyond the community. What are some critical differences between White Mouse Productions and other campus theater programs?
LW: White Mouse is different from other theater companies in that we collaborate with students and outside community members through a non-profit organization on an entirely volunteer basis to produce groundbreaking and accessible theatre. We curate semesterly seasons of shows as well as collaborate with other performance organizations locally, including the research project White Mouse sponsors, Montage: The Tallahassee Theatre Index.
This project partners with FSU’s Undergraduate Opportunity Program to provide research assistance and catalog all of the local performance companies into a database for the community to share in an open online environment that encourages connectivity, access, and community. In addition, White Mouse promotes special projects like these and others that are community and volunteer-based.
HC: It’s excellent how the company brings everyone together with one similar passion for theatre. What production are you most proud of throughout your time with White Mouse Productions?
LW: I’m very proud of the playwriting fellowship, having been selected as one of the winners. I was fortunate enough to experience the process of developing the very first play I’ve ever written, which further gave me the confidence to create work in the future and my writing skills. Hearing and seeing my words come to life, and even though we were on the precipice of performing before the COVID-19 pandemic, which shifted our performance plans to being virtual, it was still an experience that I’ll never forget and will also always appreciate.
HC: I love to hear that despite the world stops, you continued to keep going. As a theater company, what is your process for selecting a production?
LW: It’s like they say, the show must go on! In terms of selecting our shows, it depends on the need and shape of our company, as well as the interests and personnel of production. We have annual and semesterly shows that are staples, such as Whose Show is it Anyways. This is our semesterly improv show, where we collaborate with other student organizations to help raise money for a local charity. Additionally, our Annual Playwriting Fellowship allows a student to develop an idea into a play and prepare it for a fully staged production in the spring semester after reading in the fall.
For other shows, we open calls for playwrights and students to submit their work or projects they’d like to see us do. This upcoming semester we are trying something new. For example, hosting queer relationships play festivals in coordination with Valentine’s Day. We want to develop pieces and give people opportunities to try new theatrical experiences or to help produce projects that they are excited about and that make an impact. We have a broad interpretation of our mission in a way that allows us to promote social change at different levels. Some ways we do this are from supporting a social cause or charity through our work to promoting the development of new and diverse careers while supporting students at all levels of experience through hands-on learning opportunities and mentorship.
HC: It’s great to see the openness of new and young theater students having their production released. Additionally, it isn’t heteronormative and biased toward one group of people. Lastly, what can we look forward to in the Spring semester?
LW: In addition to the queer relationships play, first of all, that we are doing in coordination with Valentine’s Day, we will also have our semester-long installment of Whose Show Is It Anyways? Additionally, our total production of the playwrighting fellowship is entitled Letters to Kai by FSU student Alexa Schoffel. We will also be participating in FSU’s School of Theatre’s Fringe Festival, with a total production of the Hockcockamook Islands, which we produced a workshop concert of earlier this fall semester. We will have a few social and volunteer events that we’ll organize and host. Also, we will be recruiting new members to join our Executive Board and fill the acting and production roles for the shows and events we have going on for the Spring season.
If interested in joining, check out White Mouse Productions’ Instagram, Twitter and website. There is something for everyone, even if not a theatre major. It’s a family of everyone in the community, not just a company.
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