The theater department will bring its first show in the form of “The Cripple of Inishmaan.”
The show, directed by Professor David Rzeszutek, is a dark comedy about a poor, cripple, Irish boy named Billy who makes an attempt to make it in Hollywood.
As news spreads through Billy’s local community, the show becomes a twistedly comical journey of a hopeful individual making his way through a world of the hopeless.
The show stars Cassie Graham, Kaleigh Richards, Clay Singer and Zach Wood.
This is a unique show for the student cast to tackle this fall, as it brings many fun and exciting possibilities from the actors and the crew.
“The opportunity to learn the Irish dialect and work with a dialect coach is what excites me the most about this show,” Theater senior Cassie Graham said. “It has given all of us a chance to challenge ourselves as actors.”
The cast stresses that the atmosphere that Irish culture brings is an essential part of what makes the show so much fun to be a part of.
“I love the Irish culture, so it’s fun to immerse myself in the dialect and mannerisms of an Irishman,” theater sophomore Joseph Green said.
The ambiance of the performance will also be enhanced by some of the design of the stage during the performance.
“In my opinion, the set design is the most unique part of our production,” Graham said. “It adds a new element to the show itself and continues to impress me every night as we work on the show.”
While the story has plenty of twists and turns to keep audiences interested, “The Cripple of Inishmaan” genuinely thrives when it is making use of its dark humor.
This aspect of the show is what the cast and crew hope to bring out the most during each performance.
“Overall, this play is able to take dark subject material and not only create humor from it, but incorporates multiple plot twists to keep the audiences on their toes,” pre-law freshman Jessica Hurley said.”
This sense of morbid comedy coupled with the rich origins of the culture behind the show will bring out a different side of the theater department. This environment was both challenging and fun for the cast to prepare for but come show time they feel that they will come out better than before.
“The progress that each member of the cast has made is tremendous and has been great to watch and listen to,” Graham said.
Performances will be taking place Oct. 12-15 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 16 at 3 p.m. In the Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts.
Tickets will cost $13.00 for general admission, $10.00 for Senior Citizens (60+), and $10.00 for students.
