Drama comes to life at summer theatre

Author: Elspeth Pierson

Theatre major Rachel Dunlap '06 certainly got to know her department better this summer. For seven weeks, Dunlap and eight other Middlebury students, including Rebecca Martin '04.5, Andrew Zox '05, John Stokvis '05, Meghan Nesmith '06, Julia Proctor '06.5, Lucas Kavner '06.5 and Macleod Andrews '07 lived in the company quarters of the Olney Theatre Center in Olney, Md. Directly across the hall from them were Cheryl Faraone, professor of Theatre and Women's and Gender Studies, and Richard Romagnoli, professor of Theatre. The pair, along with graduate school colleague and fellow artistic director Jim Petosa, directs Potomac Theatre Project (PTP) every summer in the suburbs of Washington D.C.

Faraone, Romagnoli and Petosa established PTP 19 years ago after the College was approached with a solicitation to support a theatre company. The couple had done theatre work in New York City and was planning to move to D.C. when this opportunity presented itself.

"We thought such a connection would allow students to be immersed in theatre in a very substantive way," said Faroane. "Students already have their internship programs, where they can do the backstage work, like carrying spears and building sets, but they had no direct connection to theatre."

Since its founding, PTP has focused on political theme and raised highly controversial issues. This year's shows were no different. One of the productions was comprised of a group of three plays performed in sequence: "The American Dream" by Edward Albee and "Press Conference" and "One for the Road" by Harold Pinter. The different plays complement each other thematically in their tendency to provoke audience reaction. "The American Dream" is a satire of America during the 1950's, whereas "Press Conference", which was written post-September 11, portrays a press conference with a dictator as actors in the audience question him on his radical regime's mantra. "One for the Road" deals with the interrogation of a captive family during which their questioner dominates them physically, emotionally and intellectually. "It's very intense, very in your face, very devastating and very well written," said Dunlap about the play. "It's about political torture, so the [audience] reactions are big."

Bill Army '07.5, who also spent the summer working at PTP, said, "It's not the theatre people are used to seeing - theatre today is often very dumbed down - and Potomac offers a very fresh, intellectual, smart theatre that is very politically charged."

As a complement to the controversial themes of the plays, PTP hosts "talkbacks" after one or two performances for each play, during which the audience is invited to stay and discuss the show with the actors. Dunlap views this as a very positive aspect of the experience. "One woman said that after seeing the show, she hadn't wanted to return to the theatre, but that after speaking with us and better understanding the background behind the themes she planned to return," she said.

Another aspect that Dunlap and Army both praised was the varied nature of the experience. Students act in at least one show, serve as an understudy in another, work as technical assistants in a third, ensuring that they are involved in all aspects of the production.

"We did so much of the tech work, right down to the wardrobe," said Army. "What makes the program so good is that you have your hand in everything."

The experience was enhanced by the fact that the students were working with professional equity actors, which allowed them to gain experience in this arena,. Dunlap and Army both commented on the advantages of working with professionals and described it as a very edifying experience. Faraone agreed. "Through this project [students] were challenged by being in a real theatre environment with real working theatre professionals and actors with experience," she said.

The students were also working real professional hours and getting an often eye-opening look into their chosen lifestyle. With 12-14 hour days as the norm, to say that the life of a professional actor involves hard work and a true dedication to theatre is an understatement. Army said that at Middlebury the students usually only have three performances per show, whereas this summer they had 16 for each. "Through 16 performances [the play] becomes its own world, it really becomes real, and you're not acting anymore, you're being," he said.

Faraone talked about the novelty of this reality for the students, saying, "Suddenly, they weren't performing for friends and family - they were doing this for the public and being reviewed and some of them saw their name in print for the first time in their lives. It's a time when students get to know the real world of theatre and begin deciding if this is what they are truly interested in doing."

As a result of the reality and intensity of the experience, the students left well-informed and well-prepared should they chose to pursue a career in professional acting after graduation. Though involvement in PTP begins as a summer commitment, it is something that many students return to as professionals after graduation.