Meir Hass 鈥27YC likes to describes himself as a computer science major who somehow wandered into theater. That 鈥渟omehow,鈥 he admits, is hard to pin down. What began as curiosity 鈥 a stagehand with a knack for building things and a willingness to troubleshoot technical problems 鈥 gradually turned into something more absorbing. Before long, he found himself leading the Yeshiva College Dramatics Society (YCDS) as its president.
Theater, once an unexpected detour, has become one of his defining passions.
That passion takes a very tangible form this season. As president and technical director, Hass helped select the group鈥檚 latest production, and this year鈥檚 choice is anything but conventional. Enter Game Show: The Comedy You Play, a fast-paced, interactive theatrical experience that doesn鈥檛 just break the fourth wall, it barely acknowledges it exists.
Most plays begin when the lights dim and the actors step onstage. Game Show begins the moment ticket holders walk through the doors. Set during the live broadcast of a fictional, long-running television game show, the play is a show within a show that turns the Schottenstein Theater into a working TV studio. The crowd isn鈥檛 just watching the action; it becomes the studio audience, and some lucky (or unsuspecting) theatergoers are pulled directly into the broadcast as contestants, answering trivia questions and competing for real prizes.
From the outset, Game Show keeps everyone on their toes. What unfolds onstage is only part of the fun. During the 鈥渃ommercial breaks,鈥 the audience is treated to the backstage drama that fuels the broadcast: rivalries, power plays and not-so-subtle sabotage among the cast and crew desperate to keep the show 鈥 and their own ambitions 鈥 alive. The result is controlled chaos, where anything can happen and no two performances are quite the same.
鈥淒irecting this play often feels like directing a real television game show,鈥 says director Reuven Russell. 鈥淏ecause audience members are pulled into the action as contestants, the actors have to rely heavily on improvisation and be ready for anything. But there are also scenes that happen 鈥榦ff the air,鈥 where the actors reveal a more vulnerable side.鈥
The show鈥檚 technical demands are just as challenging. Hass and his crew have had to rebuild parts of the theater鈥檚 infrastructure to support the immersive production. The set includes a new sound and lighting system, video monitors that allow the audience to see themselves on screen, cameras mounted on stage cranes, illuminated applause signs and microphones for contestants. All of it equipment never before used in a YCDS production.
鈥淲e鈥檝e tried to create a setting where the audience feels like they鈥檙e participating in a live taping,鈥 Hass says. 鈥淔rom the moment you walk in, it should feel like you鈥檙e a member of a studio audience. And you鈥檙e not quite sure what鈥檚 going to happen next.鈥
For Hass, that unpredictability is part of the appeal. As a computer science major, he鈥檚 drawn to systems, logic and problem-solving, skills that turn out to be surprisingly useful when staging a production as technically complex as Game Show.
鈥淚n a way, it鈥檚 like debugging a program,鈥 he says. 鈥淵ou have all these moving parts, and everything has to work together in real time.鈥
And while the production revolves around a game show, the Dramatics Society itself draws on a wide range of talents.
鈥淭he appeal of YCDS isn鈥檛 just for students who want to act,鈥 Hass says. 鈥淚t brings together students with all kinds of interests and skills. In fact, Shimi Rothman, who plays Troy Richards, the main character, is a pre-med major, and beyond our seven actors, we have over 10 crew members supporting the production.鈥
More than a performance, Game Show is a collaboration in which cast, crew and audience become part of the action, an experience unlike anything YCDS has staged before: theater that invites everyone to play along.
The Yeshiva College Dramatics Society will present Game Show: The Comedy You Play at the Schottenstein Theater, Wilf Campus:
Sunday, March 8 from 3:00 鈥 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 10 from 6:45 鈥 8:45 p.m.
Wednesday March 11 from 6:45 鈥 8:45 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased at:
