A group of performers, FASS graduates, stands in a line on stage, holding hands and bowing to an applauding audience. The stage is dimly lit with black walls and a high ceiling, capturing a memorable moment after graduation.
A group of performers, FASS graduates, stands in a line on stage, holding hands and bowing to an applauding audience. The stage is dimly lit with black walls and a high ceiling, capturing a memorable moment after graduation.
The UW Faculty, Alumni, Student, Staff (FASS) theatre company held a 2025 winter show the past weekend. Their show was titled ‘What (Not) To Do After Graduation’ and was held at the Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre between Thursday, March 12 and Saturday, March 14.
The comedy show follows three students after graduation as they enter a job market. With a total of eight scenes, characters Junie, Elle, and Conrad graduate together, scroll through LinkedIn, face the ‘OSAP Repo Squad,’ and have hilarious conversations with professors and family members.
Allie Beldan, FASS president, along with Isabella Sciorili, director of the show council, were in the green room ahead of the show with the rest of the cast and crew as everyone geared up for opening night. When asked about their favourite part of the process, cast members said having fun, looking at the lines and joking with each other.
The cast consisted of a wide range of STEM students, including accounting, psychology, biomedical science, and more. Sciorilli mentions needing a creative outlet after entering STEM and to nourish a creative side. The sentiment seems to be the same for many of the other cast members, all looking for a way to express themselves outside of school and work.
Zara Syed, in her final year of mechatronics engineering, plays Junie. She describes the irony of her situation, having auditioned for FASS in the winter of 2025 but had to drop the role to focus on her job search. After she accomplished what she wanted career wise, she was able to return to FASS and commit to a role. She says, “That’s exactly what the play is about, the things you sacrifice.”
Nick Boyce, who has been with FASS since 2016, the primary script writer, talks about his experience with job hunting the past few years, and describes it as “just so miserable.” With help from other members of the cast and crew, they were able to create a fun twist on job hunting and that included a choreographed sword-fighting scene.
The crew started off the show with a ritual, getting the crowd to join in and perform a few lines of “Singing In the Rain.” Throughout the show, the cast seamlessly helped to rearrange the stage and quickly switch between costumes at times. And of course, staying on brand with UW, there were several mentions of co-op, computer science terminology, and MathNews. However, the highlights from the show were the epic sword fight scene and the personification of LinkedIn.
Beldan mentioned that FASS has a policy that whoever auditions gets a part. With a wonderful community, putting on great shows since 1962, FASS is a great way to get involved with the community. Whether it be enjoying some UW themed shows or joining the cast in having fun on stage, FASS seems to have a spot for everyone and anyone.
