seth as their clown, egg, attempting to become an ear of corn.
A Seth of all trades!
That is the saying, right?
seth (they/them) is a graduate of ball state university, with a major in directing and a minor in technical theatre. whatever it may be, seth jumps in head first! (except for pools less than five feet deep.) their heart may lie with directing, but they have also expanded their skills in stage management, scenic design, playwriting, clowning, and so much more. they’re always up for new challenges and hopes to continue to expand their ever-changing interests. if you’re looking for someone who will take whatever challenge you need fulfilled, or if you’re an attractive single man, contact seth below!
Current Work
the wedding singer
connecticut theatre company
the wedding singer takes us back to a time when hair was big, greed was good, collars were up and a wedding singer might just be the coolest guy in the room. based on the hit adam sandler movie, the wedding singer’s sparkling new score does for the ’80s what hairspray did for the ’60s. just say yes to the most romantic musical in twenty years.
samples
i started having an interest in directing at a young age, around age ten. when i was watching productions, i found myself questioning why certain choices were being made. i would leave telling my grandma, “it was a good show, but it would’ve made more sense if this was done a slightly different way.” this lead me to the world of directing. at carmel high school, i submitted proposals to my theatre teacher to direct my own play as a freshman, something usually reserved for seniors. this allowed me to direct my first play, that’s not how i remember it (seen above), my sophomore year of high school. and I’ve been in love with the craft ever since.
i got into clowning due to my interest in drag. i had heard of there being some crossover in how certain drag queens engage in clown activities. so during my freshman year at ball state university, i asked the clowning teacher, emily tzucker, about material i could study. she pointed me to some written material, but she urged me to try it to truly understand what it was. so my junior year, i audited the class that included clowning, and egg was born. egg was a worried clown that i fell in love with becoming. discovering the instinctual nature of clown and the reliance on audience connection has driven me to look at pursuing clowning further.
in high school, i discovered my appreciation and love for assistant directing. i have assistant directed a number of productions and found that i am fond of note-taking and developing a strong working relationship with my director. i derive joy from making thorough and clean notes that are a hallmark of me as an assistant director. also, i relish in the opportunity to learn from another director and help them bring their vision to life, in whatever way they want me to assist. i would not be nearly as good of an artist today if it weren’t for the artists I’ve been allowed to work under.
when i entered my freshman year at ball state university, i took a required stage management course. while completing my work for the class, i would often get it checked by my instructor, colleen tovar. she gave me praise for the aptitude for stage management that she saw in me, and she offered me a chance to explore that side of myself. she allowed me opportunities as they arose, namely stage managing the play four places in our cave theatre. that experience, and others, brought me to the realization that my knack for organization and helpfulness make me a competent and successful stage manager.
i got involved with scenic design as i pursued my minor in technical theatre. i took a few classes related to scenic design, namely computer drafting and photoshop (through the lens of a theatre and dance artist). what me and my professor, kerry chipman, discovered was that my skill at computer drafting and designing supported a creative designer that lied beneath. i decided to test the practicality of my work when i was directing the play sister in ball state university’s cave theatre and found myself without a scenic designer. i created a design, seen above, in vectorworks that i was proud of and excited for. it unfortunately could not come to fruition due to covid-19, but i still have pride in the drafting i could accomplish.
like many people today, my first exposure to drag was through rupaul’s drag race. i have never really fit society’s confines when it came to gender norms, and this expression of art and identity made sense for who i was as a person. using ball state university’s lgbtq+ club, spectrum, as a launch pad, i birthed the character enigma jones. she’s just as much of my artistic self as my director self, but she is more focused on pure fun and questioning the limits of identity constantly. i have been able to use my drag persona as a means of growing my scope of artistry and to fundraise. i have been able to create a distinct character by harnessing the weirdness and unique perspective. this art form continues to teach me about not only different artistic expressions but also how to use the arts to advocate for a cause.
Directing
pc: seth vannatter
the world and the people who live in it
by olivia evans
as my culminating project in my undergrad, i produced a virtual play festival with a few of the other seniors with the goal of uplifting theatre voices from my university. i chose a play by an alum of ball state university, olivia evans. she had written a play about the possible effects of a pandemic years before the covid-19 outbreak. it felt more important now than ever to explore that idea, especially when the script was written without influence of the recent pandemic. what came from this play was an exploration of a world that can only exist in this virtual setting.
pc: myra carleton
Sister
by madison bradshaw
director: seth vannatter / stage manager: eli wolfson
in my junior year of college, i was assigned to do a play in our cave theatre. i took the slot of that season as the director for the new play initiative, where students would anonymously submit their scripts, and i would choose one to direct. i ended up with this powerful and poignant play by madison bradshaw about sisterhood and community amidst sexual assault. production was unfortunately halted due to covid-19, but the time spent with this group of girls and our playwright taught me about how constructive all artists can be when working openly. we grew with this play, just as this play grew with us.
pc: seth vannatter
opus 10
by mark j. judge
director: seth vannatter
at ball state university, there is an event called the night of ten minutes. at the time, it was hosted by the theatre company named busted space, and it allowed just students to produce student written ten minutes. i worked on this abstract play by mark j. judge about a writer’s creative struggle, particularly in balancing his life and his art. in my first instance of working on a new play with the writer not present until the performance, i learned a valuable lesson about honoring the playwright’s words and intention. even if the playwright is not physically in the room with you, they should still be in the room with you.
pc: jim peterson
What Makes a Family
by seth vannatter
director: seth vannatter
carmel high school began attending hanover college’s playfest in my junior year of high school. playfest had a focus on student driven work. therefore, in my senior year, i wrote my first play and took it for competition. claiming the prize for best actress, my work with my one-woman show did not go unnoticed. this show helped me begin to understand the challenges of directing dynamically using only one actor.
pc: unknown
Blind date
by samara siskind
director: seth vannatter
every year, carmel high school hosts a night of one acts directed by a few select seniors. i was fortunate enough to be selected as one of those seniors. by choosing a play about a man pretending to be blind, it gave me a chance to really explore physicality in my directing. by experimenting with different activities and incorporating heavy movement into my play, i learned the value of approaching directing from a physical standpoint, and it has become the crux of my directing style today.
pc: shane vannatter
That’s not how i remember it
by don zolidis
director: seth vannatter
my freshman year of high school, i was hellbent on directing my first play. i wanted something to involve a lot of those who don’t get as many opportunities getting cast. due to my drive, i was approved to direct my first play my sophomore year. boasting a cast of thirty and given a very restrictive performance venue, this play challenged me to quickly learn to manage people and space in an efficient and specific manor that has stuck with me ever since.
ASSISTANT Directing
pc: unknown
nine
book by arthur kopit / score by maury yeston
director: duane campbell / assistant director: seth vannatter
i was asked to assistant direct nine the musical at connecticut theatre company. as i’ve gotten more involved at that theatre, they really wanted to get me involved as a director there. first, they wanted to see me work in a supportive role directing, so nine was a great option for that! it was a great challenge to get to work on something a little more abstract, since i tend to prefer straying from realism. collaborating with duane to find the important parts of the story to bring to the forefront in a non-literal way was exciting work.
pc: kip shawgar
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
book by hugh wheeler / music by stephen sondheim
director: william jenkins / stage manager: kelly delisle / first assistant director: seth vannatter
in my junior year of college, i was assigned to be the first assistant director to our department head, bill jenkins, on this classic sondheim musical. through our time in production, i got to witness how a director believing in the greatness of the show and its company can create a beautiful and impassioned end product. getting to witness the vigor at which bill attacked the production inspired me to never be afraid to have high hopes and standards for a production. because it’s that kind of passion that can birth a show where everyone is their best.
pc: kip shawgar
The Giantmaker
by tom horan
director: drew vidal / stage manager: andrew beckman / assistant director: seth vannatter
in my sophomore year at ball state university, i was given the chance to be the assistant director for tom horan’s play the giantmaker in stretcher theatre. under the direction of drew vidal, we played with the ridiculousness of the world created in the play. as someone who also utilizes movement heavily in his directing, i marveled at the gargantuan world that drew was able to place into this black box theatre. i learned a lot about trusting my instincts while working on this play. and that was almost exclusively because of this director who believed in me.
design by: kayla weaver
Informed consent
by deborah zoe laufer
director: sydnie blair / stage manager: casey culp / assistant director: seth vannatter
my friend of many years, sydnie blair, approached me asking me to be her assistant director for her senior capstone project. during this experience, i was fortunate enough to get to see how a show can be built from the ground up just from the sheer will of the director.
pc: unknown
Paperless
by emma sophie rund
director: carson crow / assistant director: seth vannatter
another play that was featured in the previously mentioned night of ten minutes was paperless by emma sophie rund. in the short amount of rehearsal time we had to prepare the show, i saw the speed and efficiency that comes with good collaboration that has impacted how i work on all new plays since.
pc: jim peterson
The Amish project
by jessica dickey
director: maggie cassidy / assistant directors: seth vannatter, charlotte seidensticker, renee miller
as many high schools do, carmel high school would enter a play into competition in hopes of winning the state thespian conference. i got the opportunity to assistant directing the amish project which was performed in indyfringe and went on to win the best play in the state competition that same year. with learning the restrictions of a traveling and competitive show, i started to understand from this play how you can create such an impactful show with so little. sometimes all you really need is good actors and a good director to produce a moving piece of theatre.
PC: sam a. falk milosevich
Romeo & Juliet
by william shakespeare, adapted by: diane timmerman
director: maggie cassidy / assistant directors: seth vannatter, bridget stemnock, clara martiny
the first play i ever got to assistant direct was a condensed adaptation of romeo and juliet. it’s fair to say my director was the authority on shakespearean performance. on the other hand, the students on the production were the authority on the modern flair that she wanted to bring to the production. it was thrilling to see how involved the students wanted to get when they were involved in the decision making process. it showed me how different a company’s energy can be when you value and hear out all opinions and ideas.
featured work
pc: shayna shurelds amato
the drowsy chaperone
by bob martin and don mckellar
director: david nunner / stage manager: duane campbell
this was my first time jumping back into acting for the first time in about seven years. i’m usually most comfortable behind the scenes, but i have always had an adoration for this show and the role man in chair. i wanted to challenge myself to do this nuanced performance. i got a chance to play around and trust my instincts in a way i hadn’t gotten to in a long time. with a production team that trusted me, it allowed this really beautiful exploration of character that i don’t know that role always gets. it was one of the most fulfilling moments of my theatre career.
pc: duane campbell
spring awakening
by steven sater
directors: erin campbell & becky mclean / stage manager: seth vannatter
after taking a short break from theatre, i really wanted to jump back in. the opportunity to stage manage spring awakening at connecticut theatre company arose. i got a production team that welcomed me with open arms and took on all of my structure i instill in my stage management very well. it led to one of the most well-oiled shows i’d been a part of at a community theatre.
pc: becca may
valerie
by seth vannatter
director: becca may / stage manager: becka roberts
this was my first time i’ve gotten to mount a full play that i wrote. it was a story that was deeply personal to me with a message that i felt was not only important, but necessary to get out into the world. i submitted it as an option to be produced as part of the new works initiative at ball state university. i didn’t expect anything to come from it due to some of its wacky components and it being my first full-length play. but i’m extremely grateful that i got the opportunity to see my work come to life through the eyes of others.
pc: joel kirk
Chasing Warren Remedy
by joe kelly
director: joel kirk / stage manager: seth vannatter
this was the first thing i ever got to stage manage, and it was a staged reading of a new play during ball state university’s playwright’s week. working under joel kirk, he gave me so much grace and understanding as i explored how to do this job most effectively. nothing will ever compare to the feeling of excitement and preparedness i felt on that day. this was a great example of a room that allowed me to throw spaghetti at the wall and see what stuck.
pc: rachel replogle
Four Places
by joel drake johnson
director: rachel replogle / stage manager: seth vannatter
as my first chance to stage manage a full production, i was beyond excited. sharing the space with a director and company that were also navigating their roles for the first time allowed a lot of room for experimentation. this was the first time that i was able to disengage my director brain and focus on facilitation over crafting stories. i got to experience a new role in a room, and it taught me a wide array of skills in many areas.
Contact Me
want to get a hold of me? feel free to shoot me an email either on here or from your own account at sethdirects@gmail.com. need to send me hard copies of something? email me, and i can respond with my mailing address.