The Deerfield theater program will kick off the year with a comedic play entitled Museum by Tina Howe. Though their tremendously successful rendition of Cabaret last winter will be difficult to top, this comedy aims to challenge it. The fall play is a uniquely hilarious show, according to its participants.
Mrs. Catriona Hynds, Theater Program Director, stated that Museum is a dynamic comedy set during the closing night of an art museum. The audience will watch as a variety of characters make their way through the exhibits, and the guard struggles to maintain order. The play humor stems from its snappy dialogue and an array of 44 distinct characters, each with their own unique reaction to the same exhibits.
With such a large cast, Mrs. Hynds decided to give a role to all of the people who auditioned. Making the most of her inclusive casting, she aims to provide developmental experiences for the plethora of young actors joining the theater program this year. “The audience is going to witness a really huge company mingling together in a whole series of interconnected vignettes,” Ms. Hynds said.
A multitude of incoming and returning students, many of whom are new to the theater program, are now participating in the show this fall alongside the more experienced actors.
“Everyone is constantly looking for ways to improve, suggesting different scenarios and little additions to what we are doing. Seeing all that enthusiasm is really encouraging when it comes to performing your own part,” said actor Rada Pavlova ’18.
After serving as assistant director in Cabaret last year, Michael Wang ’18 is prepared to make his onstage debut as Jean Claude, one of the visitors to the exhibit.
“My favorite part is bonding with the ensemble, and working with these amazing actors in and especially outside of rehearsal,” an enthusiastic Wang remarked.
However, the production is more than just a starting point for future thespians. “[The aim] is to have a really pacey, vibrant, energetic show,” Mrs. Hynds said, and her actors affirmed the direction of the performance.
Amelia Evans ’18 explained, “While it is relatively easy to make spontaneous jokes with friends and score the occasional laugh intended; it is much harder attempting to relay a similar, natural sense of humor to an audience, especially after hearing the same joke, repeated, every day in rehearsal.”
Museum opens in the Reid Black Box Theater on November 1st and will run until November 4th.