By Dan Domsic
Fishers High School graduate Zachary Donovan’s newly-formed Say When Theatre Co. is bringing local, young adult actors together for a performance this month.
He’s the company’s co-founder and artistic director.
They’re performing “Melancholy Play” by Sarah Ruhl, a contemporary farce that revolves around one woman drawing several love interests, leading to an ironic, emotional situation.
“They’re (the people who have interest in her) recognizing something about her – exquisite sadness is how it’s described in the play – that they haven’t seen before,” Donovan said, “and that’s why they fall in love with her, but because all these people are falling in love with her, Tillie becomes happy, and because she’s happy, all the people who are in love with her become melancholy.”
The shows are on July 11 and 12 at the historic Ambassador House, 10595 Eller Rd. at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at www.swtcmelancholy.eventbrite.com.
Donovan read the play and wanted to put it together during the summer, so he called his friend Gabbi Boyd (a 2012 HSEHS graduate) and the two started looking into the venture.
The next step was to raise the money for the rights to the play. They turned to www.kickstarter.com, to raise the dough.
Auditions were held, and a cast was assembled.
“Everyone’s really great,” Donovan said. “I’m blessed to have a talented group of people.”
Donovan has worked with several of the cast members before, but some are new.
“All of us have other responsibilities outside of the theatre we have to take care of, as well,” he said.
This is the first time that Donovan, a student at the Atlantic Acting School, a conservatory program at New York University, has directed.
“It’s a little bit of a different analysis experience for me,” he said.