Some graduating seniors are about to make their off-Broadway debuts.

Five Point Productions, a theater production company founded by a small group of Syracuse University seniors, will be putting on an off-Broadway show in September.

Earlier this year, Five Point submitted its show, “American Games,” to The Araca Project. The play, centered around the game of baseball, was written by senior television, radio and film major Kevin Slack, who is also a columnist for The Daily Orange.

The entire Five Point Productions team includes students Will Pullen, Katie Lynch, Dario Caudana, Peter Sansbury and Andy Striph. 2012 alumnus Phil Blechman will direct the show.

Striph, one of the founding members of Five Point, said the production company chose to move forward with the script because of the play’s message, which goes beyond the game of baseball.

“It’s more about whether or not a young person can handle the responsibility life is throwing at him,” said Striph, a senior acting major.

Founded in 1997, The Araca Project selects plays written by alumni from the University of Michigan, Florida State University, Northwestern University and SU, then gives them the tools to produce an off-Broadway show that will run for a short period of time.

When Five Point decided to submit Slack’s script for “American Games” to The Araca Project, the group was already prepared for Pitch Day in New York City. The script was adapted from one Slack wrote two years ago.

“Two or three weeks ago, we went down for the pitch,” Slack said. “All the guys were in the room, which was pretty cool. And that day they called us back and they said they wanted to do it.”

Since then, all members of Five Point have been hard at work trying to push the show forward to get it ready for August rehearsals. They recently held a casting call, and in June, they will all travel back to NYC for a producer workshop.

Slack’s play focuses on a former baseball phenomenon who slips out of the spotlight after being a much-hyped prospect.

“I’m a huge baseball fan, and I was kind of interested in how athletes are getting huge amounts of attention so young, especially in baseball, where prospects get started in high school,” he said.

Slack said he got the idea for the show after watching Stephen Strasburg, a pitcher for the Washington Nationals, move through the minor leagues.

“This guy had so much pressure on him, people were talking about if he was going to meet expectations, and then he strikes out 14 Pirates in his debut, but then he got hurt,” Slack said. “And I thought, ‘What would happen if this guy just decided he didn’t want to do it anymore?’”

The play is about whether the protagonist can handle life’s responsibilities. Slack said he came up with the storyline by asking, “What if?”

Five Point member Dario Caudana said they all quickly fell in love with “American Games.”

“The writing and the dialogue are great,” Caudana said, describing the script. “Very quick-witted, smart characters that talk at an electric rate.”

“American Games” will run in early September at The American Theatre for Actors at 314 W. 54^th St. in NYC. Five Point members hope the Syracuse network in the city will help fill the seats.

“The great thing about Syracuse is that we all look out for each other, on any kind of level,” Caudana said. “We call it the Orange Mafia.”

The show won’t end with “American Games,” though. Five Point Productions isn’t ready to stop after just one play.

Said Caudana: “This is just the beginning. We’ve all agreed that this is not the only thing we want to do.”

Published on May 9, 2013 at 10:48 am

Contact Vincent: vtloncto@syr.edu