Hood Theatre Students Write and Direct Original Plays

Hood College Theatre proudly presents “Beginnings ’26,” an evening of short plays that were written and directed by Hood students. The project began in fall 2025 during a playwrighting class led by Aaron Angello, Ph.D., assistant professor of English and theatre program director. In a highly collaborative environment, Angello and his students discussed how plays are primarily “blueprints for performances,” and the idea to produce the students’ original plays grew from there.

“At first, I thought we should do a public reading of some of the one-acts that we were working on in class, but the work was so good, I decided to commit to a full production of a selection of student work,” said Angello. “That would give the writer a chance to move through the entire process of playwriting, from conception to production.”

The student playwrights include Rook Bartlett ’27, Wylie Beland ’27, Alicia Bishop ’27, Shirley Gonzalez ’26, Justin Hilty ’27 and Calleigh Hoffman ’28, while the student directors include Cass Byers ’26, Shirley Gonzalez ’26, Kadem Hodge ’27 and Julia Leclair ’26.

During rehearsals, the student playwrights have been able to discuss their work with the directors and actors, revising their scripts as needed. The subject matter is as diverse as the Hood student body—the plays deal with mental health, family dynamics, sexuality and the power of friendship in ways that Angello describes as “moving, funny and surprising.”

Behind the scenes, students are responsible for the many technical aspects involved in staging a live production. Everything from props and costumes to set design and lighting has been spearheaded by students. For instance, one of the plays features several animal masks, which have all been designed and created by the students themselves.

“The most interesting part of helping to mount an original student production is being able to talk with the writers and get their opinions of our performances,” said Eyob Jigsa ’29, a law and criminal justice major with a theatre minor who is a cast member in Beginnings ’26. “In class, I learned about different styles of writing and how they impact the pace of the piece. This directly connects to the show because it’s evident that different styles of writing affect the feel of the performance, which is ultimately determined by the pace.”

For Angello, seeing his students connect that classroom learning to a fully realized theatrical production has made the process especially meaningful. “I wanted the students to have an opportunity to take their writing out of the classroom and bring it into the collaborative world of live theatre,” said Angello. “It’s been a fantastic experience for all of us who are working on it.”

Beginnings ’26 runs March 27-30 at the Black Box Theatre (in the basement of Tatem Arts Center). Admission is free and open to the public.

Learn more about Hood College Theatre.