Madelaine “Mady” Welch is a senior at Stockton with a Theatre Performance major and a Holocaust and Genocides studies minor. After graduation, she plans on moving to a major city and getting involved with theatre wherever she can and anyway she can. She’s an actor, but she just recently directed her second play at Stockton: Accidental Death Of An Anarchist, which I had the pleasure of seeing this week.
Mady wanted to direct this show because of the overwhelming relevance to today’s world even though the play is almost fifty years old. Although the play is about a serious, relevant issue, the show presented it in a comedic manner which made it enjoyable and relatable for the audience. Watching the characters’ personal stories unfold and the relationships occur makes it hilarious for the audience to watch and connect with.
The most difficult adversity Mady faced while directing was having to make the decision to cut someone from the show. She felt he wasn’t connecting and performing the way he needed to for the style of the play and though it was rocky, bringing in the runner up to perform ended up being the best decision for the show.
Mady picked this play because of how relevant it is in our country. In response to how this could really strike a chord with viewers, she replied, “I believe that this show is an escape from the reality that we are facing in America right now. We must make light of situations to bring those situations into the light. Theatre’s main purpose is to promote change in the community and hopefully, society as a whole. We do not take sides in the play and instead ask the audience questions such as: When the truth is revealed, will anyone believe it or will they choose to ignore it? How long does it take the world to forget about tragedies for there to be actual change? How much does the media contort stories and which stories do they choose to not cover?”