VCU organization allows students to pioneer theater production

Emily McCauley, Contributing Writer

Lauren Hall, Contributing writer

The Shafer Alliance Laboratory Theater, or SALT, allows students to put on full productions and gain experience they can utilize in the professional world, according to Charlotte Grace Smith, the director of SALT’s upcoming production, “The Female of the Species.”

SALT presents “The Female of the Species” on Nov. 10 and 11 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 12 at 2 p.m. at the Shafer Street Playhouse, according to Smith. The play “The Female of the Species” is based on a true story turned into a comedy and is an examination of the different waves of feminism. The performances are free to attend.

Smith will host a Q&A talk-back after the Nov. 12 matinee performance of “The Female of the Species” to hopefully bridge the gap between different generations and their ideas of feminism, she said. 

“Especially as we’re in our fourth wave of feminism, which is really taking into consideration intersectionality and the rise of the ‘Me Too’ movement and us all coming together as a community to speak about really important issues,” Smith said.

SALT is a Student Government Association-recognized theater organization created by VCU students, according to the VCU SALT website.

“It’s an opportunity for us to really experience or pioneer our own shows rather than having the professors do it for us who have had years of experience,” Smith said. 

Both undergraduate and graduate students can participate in SALT, according to Smith.

“What is beautiful about that is I can look at the audition sheet and I won’t be able to recognize any names because there’s so many people auditioning outside of the theater department,” Smith said. 

SALT is really important because it allows students to have opportunities that they normally would not have, said Jessica Pain, a VCU senior cast as Tess Thornton in “The Female of the Species.”

The cast is full of talented and hardworking people, and the actors have free reign, which allows for personal character development, according to Pain.

One of the main goals of “The Female of the Species” is to have people discuss feminism and what feminism means to them, according to Pain.

“Feminism is being able to choose and not being forced to do something,” Pain said. “I hope that the show can help people realize what feminism can truly mean to them but also how inclusive it is.”

The story has six different characters who each have very different ideas of what feminism is, according to Pain. 

“We provide the opportunity for people to create passion projects and do shows that they normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to do,” according to Molly Marsh, president of VCU SALT.

The organization used to put on three shows a semester but now has the ability to put on five, according to Marsh.

“I love all the elements of theater whether it’s behind the table or on stage,” Marsh said. “Being SALT president was something I came across as a hub for all the things where I can dip a toe in all the different pools that make up theater.”

“The Female of the Species” covers many difficult subjects and what it means to be a woman, according to Marsh. 

“It hits all the keys of a good show,” Marsh said. 

SALT is a great place for students to create a production without pressure, according to Lex Cobbinah, a sophomore at VCU and an actor in two previous SALT productions.

“This organization gives everyone an opportunity, even students who are outside of theater who just want the opportunity to get back into it,” Cobbinah said. “That’s also why I love it. It’s students doing these things. Everything is student-led.”

The rehearsal process is usually only a few weeks long, but the cast and crew usually form close family-like relationships, which are helpful to running a smooth production, according to Cobbinah.

“It’s almost instant, even after two days or even after one day, you’ll have that kind of comradery,” Cobbinah said. “Being able to work with so many talented individuals and also just getting to facilitate something that makes you feel good and makes you better as an actor.” 

One of the most beautiful things about SALT is the freedom for creative expression it provides, Cobbinah said.

“It’s nice to feel like you’re not pushing against any narrative,” Cobbinah said. “You’re just working together with a common goal in mind.”