2008 Woodie Awards
Females dominate upcoming play
Miranda Wycoff
Issue date: 2/2/06 Section: Features
- Page 1 of 1
|
"Anton in Show Business," directed by Julie Pratt, will run Feb. 14 through Feb. 18. The play is satire about the role of women in theatre and theatre in general.
There are seven cast members in the production, three of which play multiple characters.
Although there are male characters in the play, all the parts are played by women. Nicole Duffey portrays three male characters.
"There are no men in the show; that's part of the reason why this is so important for the theatre department," Duffey said.
Since there are no opportunities for the male students to be in the cast, the majority of the production staff is male, including the co-assistant directors, stage manager and assistant stage manager.
Assistant director, Keyon Gaskin, said that having an all female cast and an all male production staff creates a very interesting dichotomy, said
"An all women cast allows for a whole different process. It brings a different dynamic to the show," he said.
Since some of the female cast members have to play men, the cast said having an all-male production staff is useful.
"They give us lots of help and suggestions with the cross-gender roles," said Michelene Khalid.
Even though the cast is all the same gender, the play still has different situations between the characters, including a love story.
"Two of our characters kiss," Duffey said, "but that just shows that an actor can play any character, regardless of gender.."
The play follows three actresses to San Antonio to put on a production of Chekhov's "Three Sisters."
Characters include a soap opera star who is trying to break into film, a bitter and cynical theatre veteran and a wide-eyed young woman doing her first professional play.
"I chose this play because it's a fine example of contemporary theatre," Pratt said. "I get to work with cross-gender casting, have the challenges of an episodic play, explore varieties of humor, have the opportunity to work intimately with young actors and explore gender roles."
The cast and crew of "Anton in Show Business" believe they are part of history in the making. Many plays have predominantly male roles, and even in the early days of theatre, men were cast as women because women could not be actors.
"It's really nice to flip the coin and do an entire play without boys in the cast," Duffey said.
Tickets go on sale at the theatre department box office Feb. 6 for season ticket holders. For the general public, tickets go on sale Feb. 8. Prices range from $6 to $10.