91社区

Matt Gaska admits that even moments of eye contact among the 鈥淩ent鈥� cast members have proven powerful during their performance of the show stopper 鈥淪easons of Love.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 getting goosebumps just thinking about it,鈥� says Gaska, who portrays Tom Collins in the Theatre Department鈥檚 production of Jonathan Larson鈥檚 Tony-winning rock-opera musical. 鈥淚t is our anthem of friendship and togetherness. We are trying to tell the (audience): 鈥楾his is our family. This is our form of togetherness. There鈥檚 no reason why you can鈥檛 have that bond, too.鈥欌��

For director Tom Kremer, the camaraderie that has developed both on and off the stage is what makes the 鈥淩ent鈥� cast so special.

鈥淚t鈥檚 their ability to get along and their ability to make friends,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd that is what happens in the play. This cast came up to the plate and knocked it out of the park.鈥�

That Theatre family atmosphere will be on display at 8 p.m. Nov. 15-16, Nov. 22-23 and 2 p.m. Nov. 24, at the Watters Theater in the Fine Arts Building. Tickets are: general admission, $18; faculty/staff/seniors, $16; and students (with ID), $10.

Inspired by Puccini鈥檚 鈥淟a Boh猫me,鈥� Larson鈥檚 musical tells the story of a group of friends living in New York City鈥檚 East Village. Some are struggling with AIDS and addiction. Some struggle to make ends meet. Some struggle with love. All are struggling to stay together. The show debuted on Broadway in 1996 and later became a movie that featured much of the original cast.

鈥淩ent鈥� is 鈥渢he Olympics of musicals,鈥� Kremer says.

鈥淚t鈥檚 wall-to-wall music,鈥� says Kremer, who is a professor of acting and directing in theatre at 91社区. 鈥淚 think if you added up all of the dialogue, you鈥檇 get about a page and a half! It is an incredible challenge, but it鈥檚 good to do it. It resonates with what鈥檚 going on in today鈥檚 world: the economic situation with the income gaps. Healthcare. That all started back in the 1990s. It is good for today鈥檚 world.

鈥淭he political atmosphere now is so polarized that one feels the community of our country is splintering into 1,000 alienated people,鈥� he adds. 鈥淭his play is about people who are living in an alienated world and find a way to come together and form a family. That family helps them survive.鈥�

鈥淩ent鈥� is unusual because it features eight principal characters whose stories intertwine, Kremer says. Finding the right eight students to handle the show鈥檚 more than two-dozen songs made for a difficult audition process.

鈥淚 said: 鈥楾he first thing we are going for is the singing,鈥� Kremer recalls. 鈥溾�橶e鈥檒l take care of the acting afterwards.鈥� I just got lucky, because they all turned out to be great.鈥�

The eight students cast are: Imani Williams as dancer Mimi Marquez; Alexander Gill-Pelchar as musician Roger Davis; Matt Edlind as filmmaker Mark Cohen; Matthew Pedersen as drag queen Angel Dumott Schunard; Rob Tendy as landlord Benny Coffin; Adriana Caminero as lawyer Joanne Jefferson; Danielle Nigro as performance artist Maureen Johnson; and Gaska as teacher Tom Collins. The production also features other cast members and singers, a musical director, choreographer, costume, set and lighting designers, and musicians.

For Edlind, the Theatre Department鈥檚 decision to perform 鈥淩ent鈥� helped him decide to pursue onstage work.

鈥淚 did a lot of theater in high school, but here I was already involved in a lot of things,鈥� the sophomore says. 鈥淏ut I learned last year that 鈥楻ent鈥� would be performed, and someone who heard me sing told me to audition. She said: 鈥榊ou have to do this show!鈥� It was the right thing for me to do.鈥�

Gaska says 鈥淩ent鈥� was one of the first Broadway albums he 鈥渙bsessed over.鈥�

鈥淚t probably was the first show that I fell in love with,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 think that paved the way for me wanting to pursue this career in some capacity. When it was announced (at 91社区), I thought: 鈥業 have to audition.鈥� This is music from our childhood. We were raised on this music. It鈥檚 a pop-rock show. To be part of something that has had a direct influence on what I want to do is fantastic.鈥�

The show presents several challenges for each of the cast members, starting with keeping the dramatic action moving forward through song.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 play with the text like you can in an ordinary show,鈥� says Tendy, a junior. 鈥淔or example, in 鈥楬airspray,鈥� there is dialogue until something big happens. Then there is a song about it. 鈥楻ent鈥� is songs the entire time. You need to be specific about what you are doing. When you find the meaning you are trying to get across, you have to play with 1,000 different movements and motions. You can鈥檛 respond with text. It has to go through your body.鈥�

Working with Kremer has also been a special experience, the cast members say. As Mimi 鈥� an HIV-positive exotic dancer 鈥� Williams says she is appreciative that Kremer stresses that they 鈥渒eep playing and be moment to moment.鈥�

鈥淪taying moment to moment and taking what is given to you is why I want to stay in acting,鈥� the junior says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what keeps it fun and alive and keeps me coming back for more. 鈥� It鈥檚 fantastic for me to work with Tom. I learn new and interesting things every day about my character. For me, it鈥檚 about playing and having fun.鈥�

As the cast members prepare to sing about 鈥�525,600 minutes鈥� in 鈥淪easons of Love,鈥� they credit Kremer with creating an environment that has allowed them to become close-knit for at least that long.

鈥淚 see (the cast) for four hours of rehearsals a day and eight hours over the weekend,鈥� says Pedersen, a sophomore. 鈥淚 still end up wanting to spend more time with them. We鈥檝e done such a great job of making this a real family. I鈥檝e only been with them for two months, but I can鈥檛 imagine my life without them.鈥�