Issue date: 12/8/08 Section: Showcase

Take one part closet poet, add a dash of college, a pinch of comedy and a sprinkle of drama. The concoction created when mixed together is the student production "The Present Tense."

Pulling from real life experiences, writer and director junior Ben Klema began work on "The Present Tense" to expand his writing skills and create a realistic college experience that students can relate to.

Filmed primarily in Eau Claire, "The Present Tense," centers on the life of Brent, played by junior

Bryan Maloney, who is a closet poet trying to figure himself out. On his path to self discovery, Brent deals with his girlfriend leaving to study abroad in Scotland and becomes friends with his artistic neighbor, Valerie.

Before Klema began filming "The Present Tense," he got his feet wet his freshman year working on small shows, like "Ben and Max News" and "Our Hall," with his roommate and friends. Klema said he really wanted a video camera and decided to buy one during Christmas to bring back for second semester.

"No one ever watched it (Ben and Max News). It was just for the hell of it, I guess and to laugh at ourselves and whatnot," Klema said.

As a creative writing major, Klema said he wanted to branch out and show a more structured production. He thought the dorms were a hilarious place to center on and developed "Our Hall" during his first semester sophomore year. Even though "Our Hall" was unscripted, Klema and the other two involved with the project, "The Present Tense" actors Bryan Maloney and Kenny Ritt, came together to decide what they wanted to do for the show.

"Bryan and Kenny just kind of improved off of each other, which worked out very well because a lot of people said it seems like it was written," Klema said.

"The fact that me and Bryan are pretty good friends helps us to play off each other, which makes some of the scenes more believable," Ritt said.

Beyond "Our Hall," came "The Present Tense." "The Present Tense" was an idea Klema came up with on his own over winter break last year. He said he wanted to do something a lot bigger where he could write the scripts and have it have more depth.

When compared to "The Present Tense," Klema said his past shows were created for comedy purposes.

"'The Present Tense' is more for a message," he said. "There is some comedy, but one can get more out of it than laughter."

Klema wanted to make something that seemed like college. He said there are so many college movies where college is totally overblown and students are all idiots partying all the time or really melodramatic, where it's so serious. He wanted a balance between that.

Continued...

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