Thursday night of Theatre Fest hosted Spark Sessions: A Night of Original Works by MU Players at 8:00 p.m. in Woods Theatre. The night consisted of four original productions created completely by Monmouth students. One of the original productions of the night was written by Timothy Pakrad, senior English major, titled “His Middle Name.”
“His Middle Name” follows a conversation between two friends Jason and Patrick in a tide pool in Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME. The play explored human connection and the consequences of unclear intentions.
“It comes from a road trip a friend and I went on in 2022,” Pakrad explained. “The tide pool was a place where we didn’t speak at all, so I thought it subversive to make it the setting of the entire play/all the dialogue. That actually became the thesis of the entire work; the best words are the ones we don’t say.”
Pakrad continued, “‘His Middle Name’ was my final project for EN-254 Creative Writing: Drama that I took with professor Joel Stone in the fall of 2022. I did a lot of editing and revising for Theatre Fest as we rehearsed which led to more creative liberties than before.”
Jason and Patrick were portrayed by Olivia McGlone, sophomore Social Work major, and Sara Nelson, sophomore Biology major, respectively. “My good friends Olivia and Sara stepped up to act in ‘His Middle Name.’ Most rehearsals were spent on the book work and they were so gentle with the characters. The performance was amazing and I’m honored they appreciated the work.”
Pakrad admits that this experience taught them personal lessons as well as creative ones. “[I learned to] speak your truth and make it art. (Think Lady Gaga ‘Marry The Night’ monologue.) Getting to direct my own work taught me that creativity is about letting go rather than attachment.”
“I am so grateful for all my experiences in theatre and this was quite special. Thank you to Spark Sessions’ director Nora O’Roarke (‘25), technical director Rusty Carroll, actors Olivia and Sara, professor Joel Stone, and a very special Scorpio for the life in my breath,” Pakrad concluded.
