Calista Janicki (’22) goes out on a high note!
From her first year in the Playwriting and Screenwriting program, Calista Janicki knew she wanted to put on some kind of production of her senior project script. The major’s senior project calls for students to write a full-length play or screenplay - which is a significant undertaking on its own - but some do have the urge to put on a production as well, and Calista is one of them. Making the most of what Purchase has to offer, Calista put on a full-scale production of her two-hour musical “Crystal Clear” outside of any class or major requirement.
She got the idea for a musical right before beginning her Senior year and spent the Fall writing the book and most of the lyrics for the songs, having taken both Musical Theater Story Structure and Songwriting for the Musical with adjunct professor Sara Cooper. (Calista was the Learning Assistant for Songwriting during her Senior year.)
“Crystal Clear ” is a love story that is not quite what it seems, following Tanya and Erica as they get engaged only to have the news of engagement set into motion a series of events that will change the course of Tanya’s life forever. The original idea was drawn from tarot cards! (You can read a sample of the script on The Heliotrope List.)
Looking toward a production of the play in the Spring, Calista had a fortuitous encounter in a Show Choir club, “Crescendo”, which she co-directed. Johnny Calabrese was a new member of the club who transferred to Purchase in his sophomore year into the Studio Composition program. Calista approached him with her project and the two began having weekly meetings in November to write the melodies and refine the songs.
Not only did she “bump into” a talented emerging songwriter/musician, but had also managed to find her Co-Stage Manager, Johnny’s roommate and good friend, Jorin Cloughtery. Purchase is a place where this kind of thing happens - the stage manager brought on a Directing Assistant, Cayd Barerra, they recruited lighting and sound folks from the Theater and Design BFA, a mass email brought in Co-Stage Manager, Dana Freeman, a Makeup Artist as a Political Science major, a Prop Master, and a few Run Crew members from the Literature program. Johnny knew fellow musicians and members of an on-campus band, Bonk! Atomic Punch who were enlisted for the live accompaniment. Talent was enlisted from across the Purchase campus, and none of this had anything to do with their courses.
Calista had never directed before but she decided to take on the role. She had performed in various high school plays and musicals and had co-directed Crescendo, but this would be a very different and huge undertaking.
They found the cast via emails and flyers for auditions. The lead of the production, El Mauro, turned out to be an Arts Interdisciplinary major. Peter Sprague of the Theater and Performance department helped secure the Humanities Theater - one of the many fully outfitted theaters on campus. Rehearsals began - masked - on February 8th and ran until opening April 28th, meeting 3-4 times a week at night.
A cast and crew of 36 dedicated and committed people are who Calista credits for making her production come to life. A Go-Fund-Me raised enough money to buy body-mics, costumes and props. A petition to allow the performers to appear unmasked was granted.
“Crystal Clear” went up on April 28th. The reception of the play was strong enough to bring in four nights of full houses. There they watched the talented cast of ten, together with top-notch live musicians, perform with professional level lights and sound all put together by one very industrious student with a vision.
Calista’s drive and ambition along with the unique culture of Purchase best illustrates what makes the school a place where the only limit is your imagination. Congratulations to Calista on this project and on receiving her BA in Playwriting and Screenwriting (with a minor in Literature) and we look forward to her future successes!