No Refund Theatre, Sans Apologies

By: Jesse Cramer

Now in its 16th year, the theatre organization's efforts to become recognized are starting to pan out.

Anthony Arbaiza and Ariela Rossberg in No Refund Theatre's recent production of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Photos by Sarah Nathan

The students behind No Refund Theatre aren’t taking any more excuses.
For the theatre organization, now in its 16th year, the battles to become recognized, gain funding, find notoriety, harness and explore limited resources, and attract talented individuals have all been won. They put up a free production every week of the fall and spring semesters; Penn State recognizes them as one of the most powerful organizations on campus; their fan base is starting to stretch beyond the Facebook generation and into the community. Now, as they kick off their newest round of productions, they are ready to demonstrate what they’ve learned.

For Johnna Scrabis and Mark Celeste, two of the organization’s officers and directors, the club has finally stopped messing around. “In the past, there was a definite lack of professionalism,” Scrabis says of past difficulties. “The standard was not very high. [But now], we’ve stopped performing for each other and started performing for the school and the community.”

Celeste agrees with Scrabis, adding that “past members had the same enthusiasm, but there was a definite lack of professionalism. Directors started investing a lot of time into these plays and took audience reaction personally.” And now, as the school year is under way and the group reconvenes, they hope to reflect this newfound focus through their upcoming productions.

From classic American drama to film adaptations, this season the No Refund Theatre stage will be as diverse as its membership; in early September, they kicked off with a night of one-act plays written by comedic legends David Ives and Christopher Durang. “I think our season really runs the gamut,” Scrabis says of the upcoming shows. “We have All My Sons which was just on Broadway, a few adaptations, and a classic Shakespeare done in a way never seen before.” And Scrabis knows that the latter production will turn more than a few heads during its highly anticipated run.

As the director of NRT’s upcoming production of The Taming of the Shrew, Celeste knew he had to leave his audience with a truly unforgettable theatrical experience. “Because there are so many shows—such a variety—you want something that stands out. I said, ‘Everyone has seen the traditional Shrew, and NRT is the perfect venue to go out of the box.’” On that thought, Celeste decided to interpret the bard’s popular comedy as a classic American western (Celeste has already dubbed the show “Wild, Wild, Shrew”) in order to justify the show’s subtle misogyny and bolster its strong themes. Complete with gunslingers and swinging bar doors, Celeste hopes to completely immerse his audience in the American West, as well as one of the most unique Shakespearean experiences ever.

Scrabis said the opportunity to pursue outlandish projects, such as the upcoming Shrew, remains one of the organization’s highest and most unique qualities. As the productions continue to grow grander in focus, the group has stopped using its low technical resources as an excuse for poor quality. Since each production occurs in 111 Forum, a large lecture hall on North campus, the group constantly fights against its physical limitations, but this still remains only a challenge, not a hindrance. “[Past directors] said, ‘it’s just a classroom and there’s nothing I can do,’” Scrabis says. “I don’t think they knew then what we were capable of. I think our best shows recently are way better than they’ve ever been.” Celeste and Scrabis both agreed that this season and beyond will only continue these newly formed standards. “We’re taking more risks character-wise, play-wise, and set-wise, from very serious and well-known plays to out-of-the-box pieces,” Celeste says, and quickly adds, “Talent is talent on any stage.”  • SCM

All shows start at 8 p.m. in 111 Forum Building on campus. For information concerning upcoming shows—including the complete season schedule—as well as audition information, visit NRT on the Web at www.norefundtheater.wordpress.com.