The Theatre Department Newsletter
Edition 7, Issue 7
May 2007 |
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NOTICE: Upcoming Auditions for Next Year's First Studio Show!
Don't miss your chance to audition for next season's FIRST Studio show!!
Auditions for Martin McDonagh's The Beauty Queen of Leenane will be held on Tuesday, May 8th, in the Galvin Studio Theatre from 3:00-5:00 p.m. and Wednesday, May 9th, in Hut 3 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
The Beauty Queen of Leenane is a violently black comedy set in Galway, Ireland. The play tells the story of Mag, a manipulative old spinster and Maureen, her ill-fated daughter. The pair's mutual hatred for each other is intensified when Maureen falls in love and threatens to leave her dependent mother. After opening on Broadway in the late 90's, the play won five Tony Awards, including Best Play.
Monologues are recommended, but not required for this audition. There are two male roles and two female roles. Irish accents will be required for each of the characters. The production will run September 7-9, 2007 and rehearsals will begin in mid-August. Scripts are available for perusal through the Galvin Box Office. If you have any questions, please contact Stage Manager Jovon Eberhart at (563) 212-3627 or Director Andrew Harvey at
HarveyAndrewR@sau.edu.
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The Close of the Beginning: National Premiere of Crème de Coco Performed
From April 20-22 audiences in the Quad City Area had the unique opportunity to witness the opening of a fine piece of theatre written by an award-winning Broadway playwright and directed by a Broadway director, not to mention performed by an extremely talented group of actors!
Crème de Coco, written by William Luce (who also wrote The Belle of Amherst) provides some insight into the intriguing life of fashion designer Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. The play is not set in one particular time or place, but begins when Coco is an old woman nearing the end of her life, and turns back time as she remembers her past, and how she became the woman she turned into. Featuring Kimberly Kurtenbach Furness (SAU Theatre Major 1995) as Coco, the cast included non-SAU actors, as well as many students, playing the roles of people who greatly impacted, and were impacted by, the life of Coco Chanel.
Directed by Broadway Director Philip William McKinley, with the assistance of Madeline Dudziak (SAU Junior) the show spent a month undergoing intense rehearsal, which included the addition or deletion of scenes, and even a new character was added the week before opening! St. Ambrose was also lucky enough to host William Luce during production week. With this dynamic duo of professional talent, students had the unique opportunity to really get a feel for what life is like in the outside world, as well as to get to know two wonderful men who have such a passion for their work.
Not to be left out were the beautiful costumes, designed by SAU's very own Ms. Dianne Dye, which reflected the style and class of Chanel. Lights were designed by Brad Frazee, also one of our own, and truly decorated the set with a spectacular finish. Set was designed by Kris Eitrheim and the result was beautifully executed, and elegantly simple. Props, all of which were time period-appropriate, were designed by Jovon Eberhart (SAU Sophomore) with the help of Dan Hernandez (SAU Freshman).
Following the first two performances, McKinley and Luce held a talk-back for the audience, in which they explained the process of premiering a play at a small Midwestern college, as well as how they became involved with Coco in the first place. Audience members were also able to ask questions, and the cast, crew, and production team were all very pleased with the turnout and enthusiasm showed by the audience.
After the show's run, the newsletter team had a chance to meet up with William Luce. Here's what he had to say about his time spent with Ambrose:
What made you want to let SAU do the national premiere of Coco?
This wasn't the first time I'd taken a play to a university theater department for production. I had a wonderful experience at Duke University in launching Lucifer's Child, a play which ended up on Broadway. The university setting is ideal for trying out new projects, not only for the available facilities, but for the involvement of its theater arts department personnel and student participants. It's a rich reservoir of support and talent. SAU's engagement of Broadway director Philip Wm. McKinley to do a stint of teaching and directing on campus led to my coming there, too; I always welcome the chance to work with Phil, who is a favorite director of mine.
What surprised you the most about SAU?
My several days visit to St. Ambrose yielded some pleasant surprises. I think the best of all was to see the equal passion for theater between those students choosing theater arts as their major and those with other goals working alongside them. That's probably one of the reasons that Crème de Coco came across with such energy. What I saw on stage and behind was an impressive example of concentration and professional behavior. I can only surmise that the student participants in this department are receiving a very good foundation for entering theater professionally.
Did you have anything in particular that you hoped to bring to SAU?
Every time I talk with students, I think I enjoy most of all hearing their questions, knowing what motivates their attraction to theater. They actually tell me what I should be bringing to such a dialogue. So I have to listen carefully, and then try to impart some kind of my own inspiration, enthusiasm and humor from my personal experiences. These are important ingredients to dialogue. But most of all – I like to assure them that there is no formula for "getting there." Each one has a unique motivation and path. I always hope to suggest subtly that in the arts, scholastic knowledge is only a tool in service to imagination. Einstein himself said it: "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
Were there any major differences about working with a college rather than a professional theatre company?
Yes. At St. Ambrose everyone was younger than I. Wait, that's a minor difference, isn't it? Okay, here's a major one. A salient point to make here is that a playwright works so closely with his director, that the modus operandi between the two remains the same, whether the production is in a college or a professional theater company. This may be a question better asked a director. See how I wriggled out of that one? Try Phil. He'll give you an earful.
Did you have any preconceived notions or expectations prior to coming to SAU, and did they change once you arrived?
Well, yes – when I realized that St. Ambrose was a Catholic-founded university, I got a bit concerned about a few one-liners in the play about the church. For example, I had my Coco Chanel character rail against the hierarchy for dictating special rules to women. "Let them mind their own business," she says. "Women can take care of themselves." But my concerns about all this were allayed. Good sports, thank you. What puzzles me is that the name "St. Ambrose" would give most people some inkling of a possible religious connection to SAU. Where was I? Such things dawn on me slowly, I guess.
What was the most enjoyable part of visiting SAU Theatre and allowing us to showcase your work?
Well, one enjoyable part was to hear my play performed in English for the first time. Originally, it was commissioned by Parco Theatre in Tokyo, so it was in Japanese. You have no idea what a pleasure it was to understand what I'd written (not to mention the beautiful delivery of lines by my St. Ambrose cast). But probably the best part (for such are my priorities) – is the new friends I have made.
Did you learn anything from the experience that you didn't expect to?
I think I always learn something which I don't expect to learn. It's a kind of afterglow thing that keeps building. But basically, I came home preferring the writing of plays to anything else. I've done television movies, opera, a mass, a musical – but I believe I enjoy being a playwright more than a playwrote! Also, a college campus does something to me - I suddenly want to sign up for classes, which at my stage in the game isn't a practical career move.
Crème de Coco was an exceptional experience for all involved, and brought a little slice of Broadway to a thrilled and determined theatre department. Special thanks to all those involved—if it weren't for the dedication and commitment shared by everyone, the show would not have been the success it was!
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Introducing the Newest Kennedy Scholar
The "Michael Kennedy Theatre Scholarship Fund" at St. Ambrose University was established in 2004 to provide funds for students majoring in Theatre. The fund was established through an initial gift from various SAU alumni, faculty, staff and students to honor the contributions made to the SAU Theatre Department by Professor Michael Kennedy.
Preference for the Michael Kennedy Theatre Scholarship is given to students with the following characteristics/qualifications:
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The applicant must be a first year student at SAU.
- The applicant must be a declared theatre major.
- The applicant must embrace all or most of the following criteria:
1. a diligent work ethic
2. a truthfulness/honesty in his/her work and daily life
3. a dedication to his/her art
4. a willingness to be a productive and loyal member of a team/ensemble
5. a sense of humanity and civic responsibility
6. the ability to juggle classroom responsibilities and production demands with success and grace
7. a great appreciation for humor
The first scholarship recipient was Seth Kaltwasser in 2005, followed by Catie Osborn in 2006. The theatre department is happy to introduce Ryan Westwood, the recipient of the 2007 Kennedy Theatre Scholarship. Westwood, a Bettendorf, IA native, is a transfer student from Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, IA. While at Kirkwood, he played leading roles in Burial at Thebes, The Pajama Game, The Laramie Project, The Seagull, and Urinetown.
We welcome Ryan to SAU and congratulate him on this prestigious honor. Look for Ryan in upcoming productions on the Galvin stage!
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On the Agenda for Next Year: The 2007-2008 Studio Theatre Season
The directors of next year's Studio Theatre productions are all taking on plays with production challenges. This follows in line with the Studio Theatre's mission to try new, and sometimes controversial, plays that wouldn't be as appropriate to the main stage, Allaert Auditorium. The Studio also provides students with additional performing, designing and directing opportunities.
The Studio's first show of the season is Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh and directed by Andrew Harvey, a senior who will be graduating this May. The performances will take place September 7th-9th. The next show will be [sic] by Melissa James Gibson and directed by student Sean Tweedale and will be performed on November 8th-10th. The final play will be Stop Kiss by Diana Son and will be directed by Lou Hare, an SAU alumnus and current adjunct professor, on March 28th-30th.
The Beauty Queen of Leenane
The Beauty Queen of Leenane is a dark comedy that is the first segment of "The Leenane Trilogy" set in Ireland and is written by Irish playwright Martin McDonagh. Upon noticing the playwright, it should be no surprise when director Harvey said his biggest challenge in the show would be: "The Irish accents. Or burning the aged mother on stage with scalding hot oil. Or killing her onstage with a fire poker."
Beauty Queen has an intimate cast, two men and two women. "The play is a very dark comedy about a frustrated (and mentally unstable) Irishwoman whose life is controlled by her overbearing aged mother. This woman finally gets the chance to find love and to start a new life abroad--but the mother isn't willing to let her go," said Harvey.
This will be the second full-length show Harvey has directed at St. Ambrose. After his previous experience, he says his biggest challenge as a director is: "Communicating effectively what I want from both the actors and the designers."
[sic]
In this Obie award-winning play, playwright Melissa James Gibson takes the device of ‘sic' (or "changing the English language") to heart, intentionally leaving out and twisting punctuation, capitalization, and other expected rules of the English language to better explore the words she is using. Director Sean Tweedale states, "The script has no punctuation and letters are capitalized mid-word. It's very interesting. This leaves it all up for the director and actors to interpret the script."
Director Tweedale was drawn to the play when he, "saw a few scenes from it performed at KC/ACTF and in acting classes and I thought it looked interesting so I read it and thought that it would be a funny show and an exciting challenge."
There are three male and two female roles in this modern day comedy. The show is about an editor named Babette, a composer named Theo, and an auctioneer named Frank who live in tiny, adjacent apartments. The apartments bring about another challenge: "It is set in an apartment complex with scenes going on in different rooms of the complex. It will be a unique set but I have confidence in my designer Jovon Eberhart," Tweedale said.
Stop Kiss
Director Lou Hare is not just confronted with the issue of challenging language in his play, but a heady topic - a love story of two women named Callie and Sara. Hare says, "The play goes back and forth between the story of how their relationship grew from friendship to romance & the horrific aftermath of their first kiss. So the play has a cinematic style, jumping frequently time and location. The biggest challenge with that will be managing the many costume changes in the show while maintaining its brisk pace."
Stop Kiss does provide many acting opportunities. The cast includes four female and three male roles. But the biggest challenge will be finding: "Finding two courageous actresses who have good romantic chemistry," Hare said.
But the play fulfills his goal of "looking for a great love story to tell. It will be a new and exciting challenge for me," Hare said.
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New Writer Joins Staff Next Semester
Next semester, Rachel Mayer, an SAU sophomore and theatre education major, will be joining the newsletter team! Mayer came to Ambrose from Dixon, Illinois two years ago and has been heavily involved in our theatre department ever since. You may have seen her on our mainstage in such shows as Narnia, Much Ado About Nothing, and Urinetown. In addition to spending much time in Galvin, Mayer is also a big part of Ambrose's music and residence life departments. She will be a great fit on our staff and we look forward to working with her in the future!
Mayer will be stepping in for Emily Clifton, who is graduating this May after working for the SAU Theatre Newsletter for many semesters. We have enjoyed working with her, appreciate all of her time and hard work, and will greatly miss her. We wish the best of luck to Emily in her future!
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SAU Alum Takes Teaching South
Mike Shafer, SAU Alum of 2003, currently a Master of Fine Arts student at Northern Illinois University, has recently been offered a job at Troy University in Troy, Alabama (about 45 minutes south of Montgomery, AL) as Assistant Technical Director/Shop Supervisor. In a recent letter to Dr. Corinne Johnson, Mike let us know what his future has in store for him:
My job responsibilities will include teaching four courses a year, producing working drawings for their productions, managing the scenic shop, assisting in the loading in of scenery and lighting and maintaining the tools and proper safety procedures. I will also be expected to sit on committees, advise students and assist the TD/Designer with the upkeep of the lighting and prop shops. I have been told that an occasional design opportunity may be offered should it be available. In addition, Troy University is the usual host to the annual Alabama State High School Thespian Conference, so I will be active in helping with that. Troy also participates in KC/ACTF and the Southeastern Theatre Conferences and occasionally sends students to USITT.
The department and school are smaller than most, but larger than some. There are approx 6,400 undergraduate students on the main campus. Their graduate program is limited to a select few fields mostly relating to business. Troy is unique in that it started as a teaching college and as a college for the military and so Troy has small extension campuses all over the world, combining to produce a student population of 27,000 with the main campus at Troy being the largest.
The theatre program itself is a BA program with roughly 50 students comprised of acting and design/tech. The students seem very active and passionate about theatre.
An exciting aspect of the position is that some changes may be occurring surrounding the department. Currently Theatre is joined with communication (minus journalism) however, there is discussion between Theatre, Communication and Art that Communication will join with Journalism and Art and Theatre will join together to create a Theatre, Art and Design department.
Congratulations Mike! We are so proud to call you one of our own, and we wish you the best of luck as you begin teaching!
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Andrew Harvey Named Outstanding Theatre Major 2007
Andrew Harvey chose to attend St. Ambrose because he had a friend a year older than he was who went to Ambrose. During Andrew's senior year of high school, he asked about Ambrose's theatre program and his friend raved about the productions he'd seen and so Andrew checked them out and liked what he saw. And the rest, they say, is history.
Four years later, Andrew has been named Outstanding Theatre Major for 2007. This proud accomplishment has not come easily: Andrew has appeared in numerous Ambrose shows, most recently Fortinbras and Crème de Coco. Andrew was also nominated for the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship and went to the finals at this year's competition.
But all of this hard work doesn't mean he never had any fun. "I can't tell you about my favorite SAU theatre experience, but let's just say it involved Edward Albee, an upset stomach, and a high level of embarrassment". When asked if he had any regrets about his time here at St. Ambrose, Andrew said that he was very happy with the way his four years here had turned out.
After graduation, Andrew plans on pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in acting. Rather than the Academy, Andrew would like to thank Cory, Mike and Kris, Daniel Sheridan, Dan Hale, and Phil McKinley.
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Senior Salute: Tyson Danner
Name: Tyson Danner
Hometown: Illinois City, IL
Majors/Minors: Theatre/English and Writing/Art History/Irish Studies
Previous Productions at SAU: H.M.S. Pinafore (Orchestra), "The Jungle Book", "Dear Edwina" (Assistant Music Director), Urinetown, The Real Thing (Costume Designer)
Latest Project: John and Jen
Why did you come to SAU? I transferred here from Iowa State as a Biology major because I wanted a smaller school with a stronger community.
Favorite SAU Experience? Phil McKinley's class and doing the "Finale Dance" backstage during Urinetown.
Dream Job? Owning a professional theatre in the Quad Cities or a smaller-sized city.
Favorite Actor/Actress? Kevin Spacey, Robin Williams
Favorite Word/Phrase? Your mom.
Biggest Pet Peeve? When you fail to choose excellence, you are choosing mediocrity. Nothing frustrates me more than people who are willing to "settle" for whatever path takes the least amount of work.
Advice for Incoming Freshmen? Never rob yourself of the opportunity to experience something new. You never know what you'll end up liking. Whatever you decide to do, go for it.
What will you miss most about SAU? The relationships I've built over the years with my friends and teachers. Also, ICE CREAM AT EVERY MEAL!
What are your plans after graduation? I'm going to continue to work as a church choir director and private voice teacher. I'm music directing Into the Woods in the Quad Cities in August. After that, who knows?!
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Theatre in the QCA This Month
Show: Church Basement Ladies
Producer: Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse
Dates: Now through May 26, 2007. Wednesday matinees at 1 p.m. Wed, Fri, Sat evenings at 7:15 p.m. Sunday evenings at 5:15 p.m.
Tickets: Prices range from $24.96 to $41.60 for dinner and show. Call (309) 788-7733 x2, or visit Circa's box office.
Location: 1828 3rd Ave, Rock Island, IL; located in the District of RI
Show: Charlotte's Web
Producer: Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse
Dates: May 3, 7, 12 at 10:00 a.m. and May 1, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12 at 1:00 p.m.
Tickets: All seats $7.00. Call (309) 788-7733 x2, or visit Circa's box office.
Location: 1828 3rd Ave, Rock Island, IL; located in the District of RI
Show: ComedySportz Quad Cities
Producer: Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse
Dates: Every Friday and Saturday night at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $8 prepaid, $10 at the door
Location: 1818 3rd Ave, Rock Island, IL. Downtown in the District, next to Circa '21
Show: Swinging on a Star: The Music of Johnny Burke
Producer: Playcrafters Barn Theatre
Dates: May 11-13, 18-20. Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Sundays at 3:00 p.m. Extra Saturday matinee May 20th at 3:00 p.m.
Tickets: $10; Call (309) 762-0330 for information and reservations
Location: 4950 35th Avenue, Moline, IL
Show: William Shakespeare's Henry V
Producer: Prenzie Players
Dates: May 18-20, 24-26 at 8:00 p.m.
Tickets: $8; available at door only
Location: The Rock Island Masonic Center, 420 18th Street, Rock Island, IL
Note: Bryan Woods and Jeff DeLeon will both star in this production.
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SAU Theatre Newsletter Next Issue
Due to summer break, this will be our last issue of the season. Our next issue, which will be released on September 4, 2007, will have news on next year's first studio show, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, and an article reviewing our annual Theatre Picnic.
Please use our convenient signup page to manage your subscription to SAU e-newsletters.
Visit the St. Ambrose University Web site for more information about courses offered, degrees, events, and staff. And also check out the SAU Theatre Website for more information about the Theatre Department, or contact theatre chair Kristofer Eitrheim by email or by phone at 563/333-6255.
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Department Chair: Kristofer Eitrheim - 563/333-6255
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Corinne Johnson - 563/333-6427
Newsletter Editor: Seth Kaltwasser, SAU sophomore
Contributing Journalists: Emily Clifton, SAU senior / Emily Kurash, SAU senior / Catie Osborn, SAU freshman
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