[Note: This week, two writer-directors and three cast members will give us a backstage look at the making of Uni's annual Student Productions. This year's StudProd features four plays to be performed 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the North Attic Playhouse. Sophomore actress Anna Gooler begins the diary today. Look for other entries this week by junior Lauren Piester and seniors Carl Zielinski, Kumars Salehi, and Michelle Gao.]

SUNDAY MORNING, I trudged the five feet from my bed to the computer and checked my Facebook account. I had the usual annoying Jetman and Slayer invitations, and then I realized someone had written on my Wall!

It was my one and only, lovely Student Productions director, Lauren Piester. She informed me that our cast for the play “My Parents Think I’m Perfect” would be meeting at the Grainger Engineering Library at 4.

After a week away from my cast and the play, I was excited to rehearse again. Not only would we simply be rehearsing, it would be an interesting rehearsal in a different place than we’re used to.

I informed my parents of the situation, but ever cautious as they are, they found a flaw.

“Is Grainger even open today?” asked my dad.

So, I checked the Web site. No, they were closed for the holiday.

Eventually, we figured out that we would be going to Za’s. Unfortunately, the crowds started coming in just as our rehearsal was becoming more of a rehearsal than a social hour.

We were getting loud, and everyone decided we should go somewhere else.

I offered up my house, and soon everyone was up in my brother’s attic room. After checking out all of his distracting accessories (a shelf full of root-beer bottles, posters covering every inch of the wall and ceiling, a wooden Japanese toy, etc.), we got to work.

Rehearsal was actually going pretty well.

Until more distractions came — my brother’s home made didgeridoo, a table covered in duct tape, and a singing frog hand-puppet. After ordering pizza and losing a cast member to a home-cooked meal, we finished the play. Once. In two hours. The play should really only take about 25 to 30 minutes.

Still, nobody was ready to go home to piles of Sunday night homework, so we decided to do a speed-through. This involves speaking the lines of the play as fast as possible. Of course, the infamous singing frog caused more distractions, and I ended up speed-reading the last scene of the play by myself. Just for fun.

Needless to say, Sunday’s rehearsal wasn’t incredibly productive, but it sure was interesting.

STUDPROD 2007: CAST MEMBERS

"Why I Hate Your Boyfriend" Written & directed by Zoë Schein

• Clara: Sian Best
• Frances: Larissa Pittenger
• Palmer: Julian Hartman
• Bartimus: Deren Kudeki
• Alfred James (AJ): Buck Walsh

"Run to the Sun: A Concise Vignette" Written & directed by Kumars Salehi

• Narrator: Jacob Olshansky
• Waitress: Hannah Lake-Rayburn
• Bartender: Ollie Goldbart
• Flirty Woman: Laura Voitik
• Clerk: Alan Liang
• Nice Girl: Eunice How

"My Parents Think I'm Perfect" Written & directed by Lauren Piester

• Cammy: Hannah Leskosky
• Simon: Carl Zielinski
• Mom: Anna Gooler
• Dad: Jeremy Kemball
• Julie: Michelle Gao

"Can I Have That in a Sentence?" Written & directed by Natsuki Nakamura

• Megan: Diana Liu
• Serena: Brittany Scheid
• Leslie: Maria Gao
• Brandon: James Smith
• Cameo, Old Man: Alan Liang
• Serena's Mom: Jamie Weiser
• Announcer: Adam Joseph

STUDPROD 2007: BEHIND THE SCENES

• Queen of the Crew: Tianna Pittenger
• Lights: Isaure Hostetter
• Sound: Linda Song
• Lighting Design: Natsuki Nakamura & James Smith
• Crew Members: Andrew LaPointe, Maddy Levin, Stephanie Overmier, Lily Smith
• Sponsor: Barbara Ridenour
• Script Adviser: Jen Goheen
• Program: Lauren Piester & Zoë Schein

STUDPROD 2007: AN OVERVIEW OF THE PLAYS

"Why I Hate Your Boyfriend"
by Zoë Schein
Frances is best friends with Clara. Clara is dating Palmer. Frances hates Palmer. Palmer has two hilarious friends named AJ and Bart. Hilarity and cleverness ensue.

"Run to the Sun: A Concise Vignette"
by Kumars Salehi
Can you find the answer to life by drinking Sprite? Watch the play to find out!

"My Parents Think I'm Perfect"
by Lauren Piester
Cammy's got a C in math, and can feel the inevitable wrath of her parents from miles away. She and her friend Julie devise a plan to make them see that bad grades aren't really the worst thing ever.

"Can I Have That in a Sentence?"
by Natsuki Nakamura
Megan is determined to win the school spelling bee and finally beat Brandon, but things get complicated when she is too distracted by the letters to look at the whole word.