The curtain is rising once again—a new theater production is stepping into the spotlight this semester, and Stevenson’s thespians are eager to showcase their incredible talents at the auditions for their next show Sense and Sensibility.
Written by Kate Hamill, Sense and Sensibility follows the Dashwood sisters Marianne and Elinor as they learn to navigate the ever-present feud between romance and reason. When a polished reputation is in high demand, is there any room left for love?
There certainly is when it comes to the creative passions of Stevenson University’s spirited thespians. Their devotion to their craft brought them to the Wooded Way Fitness Studio on Thursday evening to audition for roles in the upcoming production. The lobby was abuzz with anticipation and excitement, filled with actors and actresses alike, each awaiting their turn to taste the spotlight. Returning actress and senior theater and media performance major Makayla Henderson was among the potential cast members who was eager to share her experience.
“My favorite part of acting is just being able to grow more, and I guess the craft of taking a character on paper and bringing it to life,” she said. “I definitely think I’ve grown a lot in my acting ability…my favorite thing is to make [characters] seem real to someone in the audience.”
A few other students were quick to agree with Henderson. When it comes to breathing life into one’s character, senior theater and media performance major Aiden Abraham said,
“Being able to make the role your own is the most exciting part because you get to make choices of how you want them to sound, how you want them to move and how you want them to walk and things like that.”
Another theater and media performance major and sophomore Samantha Edson, further explained her interest in character development from a cultural standpoint—a literary lens that Sense and Sensibility will promise to audiences with its story set in 18th-century England.
“It’s important to be able to play a bunch of different cultures and a lot of different roles in emotions,” she said. “People go through different things: family dynamics, relationship dynamics, all of that.”
Just one day after auditions came the final stage (pun intended) of determining the cast. Callbacks were also held in the Wooded Way Fitness Studio on Friday afternoon, and Stevenson’s actors were prepared to step into the building and give it everything they had. Much effort was made on behalf of each student who responded to the call for Sense and Sensibility. With the passion and showmanship that exists in the hearts of these individuals, it can be safe to say that each one has undoubtedly left their mark on the theater program for the better, whether cast for the production or not.
Curtains rise on Nov. 7 through 10 at 2 p.m. With Katie Solomon, adjunct theater professor, at the helm of production, Sense and Sensibility, is sure to bring new student stars to the spotlight
