The URTC is a laboratory for our students. The committee wants to be responsive to students' need for exposure to a wide variety of material, explained Mark Fearnow, assistant professor of theatre. As a committee member, he said it accepts suggestions from students and other faculty members. Many times, plays are selected when a potential director expresses great interest in a particular piece. However, many other factors are involved in the selection process.
Criteria range from the number of characters to the range of sets to the amount of the royalties.
The committee chooses pieces which can serve as universal commentaries, such as God's Country did last year when it dealt with the issue of overt white supremacy, White explained. The URTC tries to produce one Shakespearean work every other year. Since he is believed to be one of the most important writers of all time, Byron explained, it is valuable that students have access to his works. This variation of styles, periods and genres is beneficial not only for the actors, but for the technical and scenic designers as well. It is important for costume designers to design a period piece.