By Megan Reyna
As Morgan Brundett anxiously watched her fellow company members rehearse the opening scene of her play, a theatre major in the crowd reassured her, saying “part of theater is being uncomfortable.”
Brundett is a transition student at the Burkhart Center for Autism Education and Research and the first BurkTech Player on the autism spectrum to write and complete a one-act play for their show, elevating the company to a new level.
The creation of the play has been a long but rewarding process, according to graduate student, Will Sinclair. He has led playwriting workshops since the company began back in the spring of 2015. BurkTech is an inclusive theater company of both transition students at the center and students from the School of Theatre & Dance.
“This is the first opportunity we’ve had to stage something,” Sinclair said, “but I think that speaks to the fact creating something artistically like this takes time.”
Time that Sinclair, along with artistic director of the company and graduate student Reese Thompson, said will pay off.
“That’s really exciting because one, we’re getting to help produce a new playwright’s play for the first time,” Thompson said, “but also we try every semester to do something we’ve never done before and this is definitely the biggest thing we’ve tried.”
The play tells a story of a young girl struggling to fit in who has always relied on her imaginary friend for support. When she builds a new relationship with someone else, conflict between the two arises.
“All of that was Morgan’s idea,” Sinclair said, “all of that came out of different exercises we did, when we’re going through the writing process.”
A process that led to a message Sinclair said anyone could relate to.
“Thematically, Morgan’s play deals with inclusion and relationships and how relationships can be difficult,” Sinclair said, “which is something that a lot of students here at the center speak about, but I think it’s something universal and related to everyone.”
Starring in the play is transition student, Spencer Ragland, who gave credit to the company for building up her self-confidence.
“What I love about this play is that it’s different,” Ragland said, “and I really love working with these people.”
The Burkhart Players are set to perform Brundett’s play along with several other plays that feature dancing, singing and acting April 24 and 25 in the Lab Theatre on campus.
Sinclair said the growth of the theater company continues to amaze him.
“I think that a lot of us wouldn’t have necessarily thought we’d get to a point that we’re putting up a one-act play by a student here at the center,” Sinclair said, “and that we would be collaborating and working the way that we do.”
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