On November 20th, on a Wednesday, Oswego Theatre Department premieres their play “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” originally written by Sara Ruhl. 

This play, written in the early 2000s, focuses on the significance of human interaction and how technology plays a huge part in our daily lifestyle. 

Based on the playwright’s personal life, important topics such as mortality, interactions, relationships, technology, and more are all present in the show. 

With a small cast, in a total of 8 cast members and all in different years, they are putting on a absurdus play, which will put the topics in more of a comedic, interactive and exciting concept.

Ahmanee Simmons, Director of the play and senior tells her experience directing and the significance of the play. “Dead Man’s Cell Phone was definitely to highlight the human connection and the way we have kind of, sort of, lost that…And with the use of cell phones and technology, I kind of wanted to highlight that. But I also wanted to highlight the false perception of life that we get through social media and stuff like that. ” She said. “We have moved from that paper culture kind of society before and now, to this very digital, more efficient way to live our lives, and I think now it is about finding the balance between the two. Right now, everything is more digital, which is good as this does help us be more efficient as individuals in work, school, or social life, but there is also that boundary where we let it control our lives. This is also something that we address in Dead Man’s Cell Phone.” She also said. 

Giovanni Rodriguez, the assistant director of the play also commented about the production. “Working with the cast has been great. I enjoy working with my director, Ahmanee Simmons. With the play itself,  I believe the moral of the story is that we are all disconnected in our own ways and a simple ‘hello’ or ‘how are you’ can connect the most unlikely people in an instant. This is really about disconnection and what we don’t do due to technology. [In this play], I believe is going to open people’s eyes ” He said. 

“You should come see it!!”-Ahmanee Simmons

The play will take place in Tyler Hall’s Lab Theatre and will extend from November 20th to November 23rd.

To purchase the ticket online, you may visit https://oswego.universitytickets.com/w/default.aspx

For more theatre plays, you may visit https://www.oswego.edu/theatre/theatre-0

OSWEGO, NY — The Marano Campus Center at SUNY Oswego held a recent screening of “Human Again,” a filmed documentation displaying the power of theater on prison inmates. The showing of the film was open to the public, and a discussion panel consisted of professors in various fields of study, such as Criminal Justice, Psychology, Creative Writing and, of course, Theater.

Professor Kristen Eichhorn, the Dean of Graduate Studies at SUNY Oswego, served as the head of the event, and has hopeful feelings on the film’s heartwarming message.

“I think it’s a really interesting topic from a lot of different perspectives, and I hope that students take away a heightened consciousness of prisons and the prison systems,” Professor Eichhorn said.

The discussion panel also included Cornell professor Bruce Levitt, the facilitator of the Phoenix Players Theater Group, which is centered within the Auburn Correctional Facility.

“These people who are incarcerated are human beings and have qualities. They are not a stereotype,” Professor Levitt said. “We start the film with a mug shot, which is the most stereotypical image of someone who’s incarcerated. And then, you get to know them through the course of the film as human beings, and so we’re hoping to push against that stereotype.”

The Phoenix Players Theater Group has continued to operate inside the correctional facility with new members since the film was produced,. For more information, visit www.phoenixplayersatauburn.