Ouachita’s theater arts department will present “Under Milk Wood” by Dylan Thomas as its second production of the 2011-2012 season. Performances will be Oct. 27-29 and 31 at 7:30 p.m. in Verser Theater, with a matinee performance Oct. 30 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 each. Students receive one free ticket with a student ID.
“‘Under Milk Wood’ is based on a poetic ‘play for voices’ created by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, and has been adapted for a stage production by the OBU theatre department,” said director Daniel Inouye, assistant professor of theater arts. “Like Thomas’ poetry, the play relies on the sound of its lines and the pictures conjured by its words to communicate meaning; it is truly a lyrical, poetic and spellbinding experience.”
Students involved in a Ouachita production usually rehearse from 4-6 weeks with an average of 15 hours a week plus outside rehearsal to work on memorization and characterization.
“I would imagine that the average student working on a show can spend anywhere from 100 to 150 hours preparing for the show,” Inouye said. “On top of this we also add all the work of the production and technical crew. Put together with all the students and faculty working on a show, we literally see 1000-plus man hours committed to a production before an audience ever sees it.”
Kathryn Kellogg, a senior musical theatre and mass communications major, is an actor in the production and said this production is a challenge for the roles she has to play.
“The show is a Welsh poem and is set up in a way that lines are so crucial because they are all layered,” Kellogg said. “There are over 50 characters in this play, and there are nine of us playing all of them. When you first look at the script they’re just caricatures, but we’re trying to somehow make these people into real-life functioning human beings who have wants and needs.”
As with every production, there are a vast number of behind-the-scenes workers who spend many hours in order to get the show ready. One such job is publicity for getting word out about the show.
“There is a lot of time invested getting the press release of the show out to the public in a timely manner, making sure the program is put together about a week before the show starts, etc.,” said Shay Michael, a senior musical theater major who is helping publicize the play.
Theater majors at Ouachita have many chances to audition for roles in productions. With so many students wanting to participate in shows, there is much competition and excitement that comes with being in a production.
“Each show is a chance to learn and a chance to grow as an actor,” Kellogg said. “We’re here to hone our craft. We aren’t just handed these roles; we have to go out and fight for them. This is an incredibly cut throat business and it’s really competitive. Even here we’re up against our classmates, roommates and friends.”
Cast members of “Under Milk Wood” are:
•Timothy Drennan a sophomore musical theatre major from Paron
•Joe Ochterbeck a sophomore theatre education major from Maumelle
•Moriah Patterson a senior musical theatre, theatre education double-major from Sheridan
•Sam Spradling a senior theatre arts major from Italy, Texas
•Jacob Watson a senior musical theatre major from Wynne
•Garrett Whitehead a sophomore musical theatre major from Cleburne, Texas
•Betsy Wilson a junior musical theatre major from Fairmont, Neb.
•Sarah Davis a sophomore Christian studies, theatre double-major from Bedford, Texas
•Kathryn Kellogg is a senior musical theatre, mass communications double-major from Sherwood.
Crew members of “Under Milk Wood” are:
•Publicity co-crew head: Brooke Ault, a senior musical theatre major from Little Rock
•Publicity co-crew head: Shay Michael, a senior musical theater major from Grapevine, Texas
•Costumes co-crew head: Gabriela Baltzley, a sophomore musical theatre major from Little Rock
•Costumes co-crew head: Lacey Johnson, a sophomore history, theater tech double major from Rancho Mirage, Calif.
•Sound board operator: Jeremy Elliott, a freshman theatre arts major from Longview, Texas
•Dramaturg: Kayla Esmond, a sophomore musical theatre major from Burleson, Texas
•Costume crew: Kelsey Gourd, a freshman theatre arts major from Centerton
•Costume crew: Grace Johnson, a senior vocal performance major from Tyler, Texas
•Makeup crew head: Bekah Hall, a sophomore theatre arts major from Jonesboro
•Light board operator: Alison Johnson, a junior musical theatre major from Shreveport, La.
•Poster design and light crew: Tyler Herron, a sophomore theater tech major from Rosston
•Light crew and master electrician: Rudy Jones, a senior theatre arts major from Smackover
•Properties co-crew head: Jillian Kaniss, a sophomore psychology, theatre arts double-major from Texarkana, Texas
•Properties co-crew head: C.J. Bernard, a sophomore theater arts major from Sherwood
•Props crew: Jordan Miller, a sophomore musical theater major from Rockwall, Texas
•Props crew: Michelle Lackey, a junior music theatre major from Decatur, Texas
•House manager: Cody Myers, a sophomore psychology, theatre arts double-major from Van Buren
•Box office and head of house crew: Heather White, a junior musical theatre major from Houston, Texas.
Picture by Jessica Bowling.
