All in the Timing

All in the Timing is a collection of six single-act vignettes with themes of wordplay, romantic happenstance and existentialism, written by David Ives between 1987 and 1993. Everyone directly involved in the production, from the directors to stagehands and actors are all students in the theater department. Each scene was distinct in plot but the entire production had a consistent tone, comically spinning yarns of existential quandary and romantic idealism in a unique manner. The play was held in the Stop Gap Studio Theatre, a smaller room sharing the E building with Carlson Theater.
Zeke Fowler is one of the six student directors of the Bellevue College production of All in the Timing. Fowler shared that there is “one student production every spring,” each of which provide students with the opportunity to direct short plays, such as his scene in It’s all In the Timing, called Sure Thing. Sure Thing introduced the audience to Ives’ world, in which time is bent with the ringing of a bell by an unseen deity.
Many of the directors for last week’s play had experience from the Directions Festival, which is held in fall and gives aspiring directors the opportunity to put together a 10 minute show. Michael LAcker, the student director of Universal Language, said that productions like this “give opportunities to people who want to prove their skills as directors. We kind of pick more from a pool of people who come to our Stage Fright student productions meetings every Friday.” Bellevue College offers classes and opportunities that can help them work towards their ideal theater careers. To direct a theater production at Bellevue College, students must have “done a show with the Directions 10-minute play festival and [they] have to have taken the directing class here at Bellevue College.” Rebecca Prows, a BC student who directed the vignette English Made Simple, said that she “love[s] her cast,” and proceeded to call them “amazing.” She continued, “The thing I like about directing is seeing where people start, where they end, and their connections,”
Jack Anderson, an actor in the play, said, “We worked all throughout spring break and we’ve been going at it like crazy people.”
Karla Perez, who acted in several of the scenes last week said “the experience has been hard and amazing, that’s pretty much the way I can describe it, it was very difficult and really incredible.”
Linn Bartell, who appeared with Karla and Jack, and who will narrate Into the Woods, said, “I just feel really happy with the way that this came about, I really do, this was one of the best productions we’ve put on.”
The emotions of the staff and cast were mirrored by the audience.
Nathan Sjoholm, who attended the play, said after the production was over “I was overcome with a very wide range of emotions, on the spectrum from pure hysteric laughter and euphoria, and then confusion for part of it. I thought the acting was pretty good, I kind of have a crush on one of the actors now.”
Many of the actors and directors involved in All in the Timing will also be in Into the Woods, which is to be performed May 29-31 and June 4-7.