Opposites.

When Writers’ Showcase 2016 comes to mind, so does the word “opposite.” Writers’ Showcase is a display of opposites. It can be comedic one moment, and serious the very next. At times it can even be at odds with itself. Certain scenes are deeply personal, while at the same time being something everyone in the audience could connect to.

In most situations such a difference in tone would be to the detriment of the overall performance, but Writers’ Showcase manages to use that duality to its advantage, and for the most part it works. Looking at Writers’ Showcase as a whole, it’s a very good performance. The writing was fantastic, the artistic liberties taken in tweaking the original essays enhanced each performance, and student directors Graham Byrne and Gaby Godinez really out did themselves. On top of that you have stand-out performances like Anne Kelly in “Cosmic Wanderer,” Evan Jordan and Ella Brady in “Skittles,” and the entire cast of “Camouflage” that really make this show great.

Another place where Writers’ Showcase really shines is with the visual presentation, or rather lack thereof. The minimalism really enhances the overall idea that the show is about the writers. The lack of a set forces viewers to focus more on the content of the show rather than what looks nice. The minimalistic costumes, consisting of just jeans and a plain, colored t-shirt, give the message that the actors are not what the audience should be focused on. Not only that, but that all allows the performances to shine even more because you’re taking each actor as they are, not as their outfit presents them.

However, even with all of its bright spots, Writers’ Showcase is not perfect. The only problem I found is that it would sometimes rely on a poorly thought out joke for laughs, which is disappointing because probably ninety percent of the jokes were really funny and obviously had a lot of thought put into them. This most often appears in the “Chocolate Box” skits, which relied on a joke that was only kind of funny in the first place. The only one I really enjoyed was “Chocolate Box Skit #2,” where they took a different approach to the joke, and incorporated other comedic elements.

As a whole, Writers’ Showcase 2016 is a great performance that’s marred by a few small missteps. The writing, direction, and skill of the actors really make the show enjoyable for people of all ages.