The William Granger Ryan Theatre will host an array of performances throughout this Spring 2020 semester starting with Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s “The Rivals”.
Hitting the stage Feb. 21-29, this Sheridan comedy follows the life of wealthy Lydia Languish, who has fallen in love with a poor military man. This causes an uproar with the characters.
Lydia’s friend Julia has a jealous lover who is driving her to distraction with his fears for her safety. Sheridan’s comedy of manners uses disguise and love triangles to create a delightful satire of romance and the upper class according to SHINE.
Captain Jack Absolute, a wealthy, confident and mischievous man played by sophomore musical theater major, Todd Griffin said, “it’s a lot of fun and with our director, Steven Wilson, we’re allowed to put in our input, and really work with different things.”
The play is to be performed in the round, using an intimate setting where the stage is set in the middle surrounding audience seats.
“It’s a very intimate setting. Being able to work in the round is cool because we’ll be able to chase each other around the round and things like that. Yeah, it’s been really fun, I’ve had a lot of fun times there” said Griffin.
When asked what she’s excited for audiences to see, stage manager Lexi Jenks said “I’m most excited to see their initial reactions to the costumes!” She said she doesn’t want to give anything away, but said they are going to be really fun.
Griffin hopes people will have a good time seeing the comedic drama.
“With this play, with the contemporary feelings that we have with it, we have a lot of asides where we’re actually talking to the audience so it’s really up close. That’s really intimate about the round because you get to really interact- that’s the live theater part of it which I love about theater, you get to interact with the crowd and it’s live it’s not like you’re seeing it through a lense” said Griffin.
“It’s a really cool thing to see this show come together since it is a new adaptation. It is literally changing every day which is very exciting!” Jenks said.
“You know, constantly be able to work on our feet and being able to jump from learning a line to being able to switch that line ever so slightly, or changing it to a whole different text, is what’s really cool about it,” Griffin said “but at the same time, everything we’re changing is for the better and for the audience and it’s coming together really cool. It’s funny, very action-packed, and it’s a good story.”
There are also a variety of upcoming music performances and art exhibitions including WSW & Sinfonia: Beyond the Horizon, to be performed Feb. 22, and Emma Vescio’s curated exhibition which was presented Feb. 6. Other upcoming performances include the Dance Spectrum coming March 27-29, and “The Wolves”, hitting the stage April 23-26.
“The Wolves”’ performances follow a girls’ soccer team on their journey through becoming adults. Superstars, nerds, gossip and outsiders all practice, and when tragedy strikes, they have to learn how to carry on as a team. It “captures young women on the verge of becoming adults” according to its description. More details about these upcoming events and more can be found on MySHU or at https://setonhill.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/vpa/events.
Published by Caitlin Srager