Welcome to April, the month of student creativity. Beyond the conspicuous-of the student constructed facades of Thurtene, and the student occupation of the admissions office-April welcomes a couple of student-run theater productions. For those looking for the kind of theater that experiments and provokes in ways that the “Institution” (the Performing Arts Department) shies away from, the time has come to celebrate the true rites of spring.

This weekend, Washington University is being graced with two plays-”The Goat, or Who is Sylvia,” and “Infinity…”-produced by the all-student companies Cast n’ Crew and Thyrsus, respectively. While the two plays cannot be any more different, they share a unique dimension of energy and strangeness. “The Goat,” written by Edward Albee, is at once an absurd (often hilarious) and yet highly dramatic story about a man’s conflicting emotional and physical yearnings between his wife … and a goat. This wonderfully troubled man will be played by the never disappointing John Stadler, himself a veteran of oddball roles following his performance as a coquettish woman in last winter’s “Cloud Nine.” The performance’s director, Jess Schild, views the play as more than an exercise in absurdity or deviance. “Despite its outrageous premise,” Schild said, “the play is really quite tragic and thought provoking. It challenges its audience to re-evaluate who and what we can fall in love with.” If inexplicable love and libido truly abound in the springtime air, what better way to sublimate this energy than on a play about the strangeness of sex and love?

The Thyrsus production of “Infinity…” also addresses the strangeness of romance. Written by second year graduate student in the performing arts Justin Blum, the play is about a picnic, intended to woo a loved one, gone horribly awry. The setting the boy chooses to have the picnic might explain in part why his advances fail. The picnic, as with the whole 25-minute play, is set in a tunnel. This tunnel, though, is not constructed for the stage. The stage is in a tunnel. Continuing with Thyrsus’ tradition of site-specific plays, “Infinity…” will be performed in January tunnel. The audience (15 people per performance) will stand along the wall, only inches from the action. Thyrsus is not foreign to this type of theater. Blum’s “Examination Period” was produced last year in a classroom, while the director of “Infinity…,” Matt Goldman, acted in last year’s production of “Downsize,” set in the PAD bathroom. “It’s kind of our thing,” said Goldman. “You’re not in the comfort of the theater, anymore. Nothing’s really out of bounds.” As Goldman suggests, the setting of the play is not just strange, but downright creepy; and the play’s second act unveils a rather haunting secret that intends to do for January tunnel what “Psycho” did for hotel showers.

The two performances mark the directorial debuts for Schild and Goldman. Their excitement and energy for the productions are testament to the burst of creativity exhibited by all students in these pollen-infested, work-stressful times. Pay tribute to this Spirit of the Times, and check out student-produced drama that doesn’t entail listening to arguments about labor economics.

“The Goat, or Who is Sylvia” will be performed at The Village Theater (Small Group Housing, Building 3) on April 21 at 8:30, April 22 at 8:00, April 23 at 2:00 and 8:00 and April 24th at 7:00.

“Infinity…” will be performed in the January tunnel on April 22 and 23 at 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00 PM, and 9:00 and 10:00 PM the April 24.

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