|
|
|
|
 |
|
COLLEGE PLAY EARNS A TOP SPOT AT THEATER FESTIVAL |
|
|
|
|
January 19, 2009
GROVE CITY, Pa. – Grove City College’s production of “La Bete” may have entered the regional competition of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Philadelphia, Pa., Jan. 13-17 as a “dark horse” – but it emerged as one of the region’s top two productions. It is the first year Grove City College has submitted any of its theatrical productions to be considered for the festival.
“La Bête” joined “Spring Awakening” from Rowan College (Glassboro, N.J.) as a top production. All told, 210 productions were nominated from 83 different schools. Nine were chosen to compete at the regional competition. Director Betsy (Boak ’77) Craig, associate professor of English and theater, and the cast will hear sometime in March if reviewers choose “La Bête” to be showcased at the Kennedy Center’s national festival in Washington, D.C.
Written in iambic pentameter, David Hirson’s Molière-inspired comedy “La Bête” won numerous awards including the New York Newsday/Oppenheimer Award, Great Britain’s Lawrence Olivier Award for Comedy of the Year, as well as five Tony award nominations and six Drama Desk awards, including Best Play of 1991.
It is the story of Elomire, played by senior Pierce Babirak of Scarborough, Maine, a playwright who is forced to play second fiddle to a lesser writer and actor Valere, played by Doug Baker ’08. But Valere wins over Elomire’s patron Prince Conti, played by Jesse Aukeman ’08, and Elomire must choose between his art and his career. Patrick McElroy ’08 played the part of Bejart; and senior Jennifer Ford of Rochester, N.Y., played Dorine.
Grove City College does not offer a theater major and has a slim production budget. In the end, however, the close involvement of all actors and technical people in organizing, setting up and tearing down of the production may have been the key against other schools with bigger budgets and more manpower.
“It made it better, I think, in some ways because of that,” Craig said. “We pulled in as a team, and we left as a team.”
The critics noticed, commenting on the camaraderie and cohesiveness of the cast and the production as a whole. Craig also applauded the professionalism of the cast.
“They wanted to have class in everything they did,” she said. “It was just really nice to see our students operate in that atmosphere. I was just so proud of them.”
It paid off during the Jan. 15 evening performance. The tightly written dialogue and sharp delivery received an enthusiastic response at almost every line and was capped by a thunderous standing ovation.
Craig sees the achievement as a testimony to the College's excellence in the arts, as well as academics. “I think it has certainly done much to establish Grove City College as having a vital and viable theater program in the greater academic theater community,” she said.
The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival is a national theater program involving 18,000 students from various colleges and universities. There are eight regions; the College’s region includes Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
| |
|
|
|
|
Print Page
