While eating dinner in London during their semester abroad last spring, Melissa Panzer and Rebecca Atwood were struck with inspiration to think outside the box.

The two Syracuse University seniors decided to create an inclusive theatre production company for the campus, which they aptly named Outside the Box Productions. After a summer of work, it will raise the curtains on its first season this fall.

Panzer and Atwood’s faculty adviser in London, Lizzie Ingram, believed that theatre was about fun and the love of life, said Panzer, an acting major.

‘We had all felt that had kind of been lost,’ Panzer said. ‘We wanted to keep this love and dedication alive when we got back to school.’

The theatre group will not exclude any student, no matter what his or her interests, major or year may be. The student must be interested in acting, stage production and management, or any other theatre position. Even students that are not enrolled in the College of Visual and Performing Arts may become involved.

‘We want to make sure no one gets turned away, in any aspect,’ Panzer said. ‘Anyone can be involved.’

Upper-class, non-drama majors who would like to act have few opportunities within campus performances, said Jamie Bog, a senior stage management major, and Outside the Box Productions participant. In First Year Players, a veteran campus theatre organization, only first-year non-drama majors may act, and all other upper-class students are relegated to production. And in performances produced within the drama department, only drama students may perform and complete all the backstage tasks.

‘I am excited about getting the main campus involved,’ Bog said. ‘Merging the drama kids with the main campus will be cool.’

To fund the group, the organizers brainstormed ways to raise money-including a date auction in which participants bid for a particular date activity, such as movie tickets for two or a free dinner donated by local businesses, said Atwood, an acting major. People will also be able to bid for a particular person to go on a date with.

Alumni from the College of Visual and Performing Arts also donated some funding to the organization.

But aside from the fundraising activities, Outside the Box Productions isn’t wasting any time in doing what it were designed to do: produce plays.

According to Atwood, the organization’s debut play will be ‘Album.’ The directors will be holding auditions this week, and the performance will take place in mid-November.

‘This season’s plays focus on growth, which is important for a university,’ Panzer said. ‘They are all themed around how growing up can change a person.’

Published on September 13, 2004 at 12:00 pm