RSA student streams Final Project, Girl and the Robot
By Laureen F. Guenther Times Contributor
Girl and the Robot, a play written and performed by Rosebud School of the Arts (RSA) graduating student Kalena Lewandowski, will be available for online viewing, Feb. 21 to 28.
Girl and the Robot is Lewandowski’s Final Project. Lewandowski previously acted in Rosebud Theatre’s 2019 production of A Christmas Story. She also performed in Rosebud School of the Arts’ productions of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and Unity 1918.
Lewandowski, a musician-composer, incorporated five original songs into this play.
“The story (Girl and the Robot) is based around me and my experiences, but the character’s not me,” Lewandowski said. “This girl is dealing with a lot of different sides to herself that she doesn’t like, or sides to herself that she likes to keep hidden.”
Lewandowski added those parts suggest to her the image of a robot, an aspect of herself that the girl struggles to accept and understand.
Girl, the character, has been asked to write and perform music, but at first, her songs, poems and stories have no meaning for her. But as she performs for others, she learns that performing helps her to better understand herself and her words.
“Watching the show, you are watching this girl learn truths about herself that she didn’t expect to learn,” Lewandowski said, adding she went on her own growth journey by performing this play.
As the story shows Girl’s growth, Lewandowski has to perform music poorly, playing nervously and mixing up lyrics. That, she said, is remarkably difficult. It’s also stretching to share her own words, in song and in dialogue, with an audience.
“I realized how much I’ve grown, just in putting myself out there and being willing to get things wrong,” Lewandowski said. “I’m putting a lot of myself on the stage … saying a lot of my own words and a lot of my own experiences. More than my actual talent having grown and being shown (is) my willingness to be scared and my growth in being vulnerable.”
Lewandowski plays Girl. Bill Hamm is musical director, Mark Lewandowski is director and Amy Pohl is stage manager. Brad Graham is technical director.
Lewandowski performed Girl and the Robot live in Rosebud’s Akokiniskway Gallery for the RSA cohort in mid-February. That performance was filmed by budding Rosebud filmmakers Hadden Eliuk and Weston Snider, and is available for viewing online, Feb. 21 to 28.
Lewandowski also made her first recording, an EP of the play’s five songs, plus one bonus song.
A ticket to view Girl and the Robot is $10. An EP download is $12. The play and EP recording may be bundled together for $20. All may be purchased by emailing h24hproductions@gmail.com.