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October 29, 2009

Rose Drama Club displays talents in 'Noises Off'

TERRE HAUTE — Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Drama Club members will let the audience observe the shenanigans, chaos and frustrations that go into creating a dramatic production while presenting the hilarious farce “Noises Off” as the college’s fall play.

The show opened last night and will continue at 7:30 tonight and Saturday in Rose-Hulman’s Hatfield Hall Theater. Other performances are scheduled on Nov. 5-7. All shows start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, and $8 for non-RHIT students and youths. Seating is reserved and tickets can be purchased at the Hatfield Hall ticket desk from 1-5 p.m. or by calling (812) 877-8544.

“Noises Off” is really a play-within-a-play with the audience following a motley and disorganized theater company as it rehearses, performs and just tries to make it through the production of the dreadful sex comedy “Nothing On.” Each of the three acts of “Noises Off” contains a performance of the first act of “Nothing On” — covering the dress rehearsal on the night before the show’s opening, a matinee performance one month later and a performance near the end of the show’s production schedule.

Along the way, doors slam, identities are confused, and chaos — and sardines — reigns.

“’Noises Off’ is about doors and sardines, and getting on and getting off (stage) — getting the sardines on, getting the sardines off. That’s farce. That’s theater. That’s life,” said David Pope, a senior who plays Garry Lejeune, an easily fired up actor with disappearing speech affectations. “’Noises Off’ is a hilarious play which everyone who has any kind of sense of humor should see. That being said, who wouldn’t want to be the one making people laugh?”

Written by English playwright Michael Frayn, “Noises Off” gets most of its comedy from the variations in each production version as offstage chaos affects onstage performance — in thick English accents.

“By the end of the play everything is falling apart,” observes Chelsea Howard, a senior who plays Belinda Blair, a cheerful and sensible actress.

The play also features seniors Travis Vanderberg as Frederick Fellowes, an actor who often questions the meaning of his lines and stage movements; Marcie Huber as Poppy Norton-Taylor, the emotional and oversensitive assistant stage manager; and Jarod Markley as Selsdon Mowbray, the elderly alcoholic who conveniently finds his hidden bottles throughout the stage; and junior Alice Forehand as Dotty Otley, a forgetful middle-aged actress who is in charge of the sardines. Newcomers to Rose-Hulman productions are freshmen Alex Cochrane as Lloyd Dallas, the temperamental director of the play “Nothing On”; Emily Yedinak as Brooke Ashton, a young and inexperienced actress who rarely takes stage direction; and Jack Pringle as Tim Algood, the stage manager.

“The play has been a wonderful challenge for our students, learning the British accents and the play-within-a-play concept,” states Rose-Hulman Drama Club Director Bunny Nash. “I thought this cast had the comedic wit and acting ability to pull off this hilarious farce, and they have done a great job. It is a fun show — for the audience, the cast and the production crew.”

Nash cautions that the show contains some adult language and situations that might not be suitable for younger audiences.

Developing the thick British accents haven’t been challenging to cast members, according to Huber. She has been using the accent throughout the school day to get comfortable with the vocal inflictions.

This is Huber’s fourth year in Drama Club productions, having appeared in “Three Musketeers,” “Musical Comedy Murders of 1940,” “Wizard of Oz” and “Once Upon a Mattress.”

“The best part of performing in the Hatfield Hall Theater is that the technical talent surpasses any you would see at a normal school, as opposed to our wonderful engineering techies,” she states. “Drama Club is like a family to me. It is my home away from home.”

Howard concurs after being part of Drama Club productions “Scapin,” “Crazy For You” and “Night of the Living Dead.”

“The wonderful theater and crowds that come are amazing for the vibe and thrill of acting,” she said. “‘Noises Off’ is a small, comedic play which always makes it enjoyable to be around your peers.”

Meanwhile, Pope, another veteran Rose-Hulman stage performer, sees Drama Club productions as providing a wonderful change of pace during a hectic senior year of design projects, laboratory assignments and job interviews.

“Drama Club productions give an escape from the engineering way, not that there’s anything wrong with all-engineering, all the time,” said the mechanical engineering major. “It’s nice to have breaks here and there. Also, the people are great.”

The fall production once again features the set design talents of Technical Director Greg Stump and a large student technical staff. The “Noises Off” set is the largest constructed for a Rose-Hulman production and flips 180 degrees during the second act to give the audience a better glimpse at what actually goes on behind the scenes during a play.

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