JustArts: What are your responsibilities as UTC president?

Emily Bisno: I oversee everything and I make sure that everyone is doing their job and has the assistance that they need. I kind of fill in holes and I help with different projects....And I book spaces for auditions, plan forum and make sure that everyone is communicating.

JA: Last year, there was a lot of controversy surrounding the UTC. What has been changed in order for things to run smoothly this year?

EB: A lot of steps have been taken.  I’m trying to open lines of communication as much as I can within the UTC.... And obviously, it’s not going to be totally fixed in a year, but I’m hoping to make as much headway as I can.  ...  We will have E-board members visiting rehearsals more frequently. ...We’re also reinforcing an old rule that the UTC used to have where [at least two of] the director, stage manager and producer… are supposed to be at our weekly forum now.  [The propsals process is] going to be a lot more transparent.

JA: Should issues arise similar to those we had last year, how would you handle it as president?  If there is tension or controversy over the performance of a UTC show, how would you handle that?

EB: At the end of the day, it’s not just my decision — I think that’s really important. I’m trying my best to avoid those situations. For example, when we get a script that we think is controversial, if I don’t think that we are capable of making a call, I will send it to our club supervisor Robby Steinberg and he will give his input. ... Some plays are meant to start conversation .... It would depend on what the purpose of the play was and why it was put through to voting in the first place.

JA: What is the most meaningful experience you’ve personally had working on show?

EB: Last fall, I was in “Fefu and her Friends”... and that was a really amazing experience. It was an eight-person all-female cast and our rehearsal/production staff was also all-female. ...That show kind of revamped my love for theater and for feminism and the kind of messages that you can send through theater.. ...That’s probably one of my all-time favorite plays I’ve been in.  ...Another thing that was really cool about that experience was the playwright, Maria Irene Fornes...There are two women that have been making a documentary about her life and... these women actually came to rehearsal for two days. We got to see some footage from the documentary. ...It was an amazing experience. It was really wonderful.

JA: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

EB: 24 Hour Musical is September 15th and 16th! Auditions start September 4th.

—Maya Zanger-Nadis