A classified ad for Monmouth College theatregoers this season might read, “Must love dogs. Or Bridgerton. Or a Cinderella story. Or even John Cariani.”
That brief description is sure to check some boxes for potential audience members, who will get their first opportunity to catch a show on campus when theatre professor Todd Quick directs an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice Sept. 27-29 in Wells Theater.
“Along with Shakespeare, Jane Austen is probably one of the most universally beloved writers of the English language,” said Quick. “Given the recent success of other Regency era romances and dramas like Bridgerton … I think people have traced it back to the source and been exploring her works.”
Quick praised the adaptation of the novel for the stage that he will be directing.
“If you are a lover of the book, this play is going to be really perfect for you because the playwrights understood the assignment and took large passages of Austen’s incredibly witty, wicked writing and lifted it straight out of the book,” he said.
The fall semester will be barely a month old when the curtain rises on Pride and Prejudice.
“This one’s a little special because the show opens so early,” said Quick, who will be directing his largest cast of Monmouth students at nearly 30. “We have a full cast already because auditions were in the spring.”
That includes six incoming freshmen, some of whom auditioned in person, while others submitted videos.
“They’re already involved, already working on their British accents, memorizing lines before they’ve even arrived on campus,” said Quick. “They’re already part of our theatre family.”
Love/Sick, by John Cariani: Nov. 22-24
From Nov. 22-24 in Hewes Library Studio Theatre, nine Monmouth students will direct the Cariani play, which is a series of vignettes.
“It’s been on my radar for a while,” said Quick. “Like nearly everyone else 15 years ago, I fell in love with John Cariani’s better-known play, Almost, Maine, which has been produced here at Monmouth. Cariani is a great contemporary writer. He writes characters that feel very natural, so it’s very attractive for young actors. They can take on his roles while also feeling like they’re not acting, which is often a big goal of ours in our training.”
Quick said the Cariani work is well-suited for a group effort.
“In Love/Sick, you have a series of, essentially, small plays, connected through theme, location, circumstance,” he said. “But the scenes function independently, which is so perfect for our first-time directors.”
Sylvia, by A.R. Gurney: Feb. 21-23
Last season, Western Illinois University professor Lisa Wipperling directed The Theory of Relativity on campus, and she’ll return Feb. 21-23 to direct a show that Monmouth theatre professor Vanessa Campagna called “a comedy from the 1990s (with) a ‘sit-com-esque’ structure.” Sylvia will also be staged in the library’s theatre.
“We’re set in 1990s New York City, and Greg is unhappy in work,” said Campagna. “He would like to avoid it and he’s a master procrastinator. I think that can resonate in a certain way with our students. Greg also contends with monotony in his personal life. Some of the play’s central questions, then, include,where are we going to find the enrichment, the meaning in our lives? How do we connect when we find ourselves feeling isolated, feeling lonely, even if we’re in committed relationships.”
Enter Sylvia, the dog.
“This dog that Greg finds at the park becomes a real source of companionship and comfort,” said Campagna. “Of course, that’s only going to become a source of conflict in the play because the wife – surprise, surprise – does not like the dog. But what is really intriguing is that we’re circling back to the theme within Pride and Prejudice of first impressions and being open to having one’s mind changed.”
Cinderella, by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II: April 24-27
From April 24-27 in Wells Theater, Campagna will direct and provide the choreography for a community production of the classic tale, of which she had four choices of versions.
“I settled on the Enchanted version, partially due to my own preference,” she said. “When I was a child in the ’90s, the Enchanted version was televised, famously, featuring Whitney Houston and Brandy as the Fairy Godmother and Cinderella, respectively, and I loved it. My sister Gina and I watched that innumerable times.”
But Campagna likes the Rodgers and Hammerstein version for deeper reasons, as well.
“I love the theme of the Enchanted version, and it’s focus on inclusion,” she said. “That theme works perfectly with the community partnership, because it’s about bringing the community onto campus and being a part of making art.”
For community shows, Campagna said it’s important to stage titles that everyone knows.
“What we want is for people to come out and be involved in the show,” she said. “A title that’s familiar allows people to think immediately, ‘I want to be a part of that. I know the roles. There’s something for me.'”
Some of those people will need a ride to the rehearsals from a parent.
“Personally, I can’t wait to see little 8-year-olds play mice,” said Campagna. “I want many, many mice, so I hope that all of the children will come out.”
***Courtesy of Barry McNamara, Monmouth College***
