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uditions for the two fall plays are on back-to-back days in September. “We’re a play-making factory,” says Hollis. When freshmen first arrive on a Wednesday, “We do auditions on Thursday.”
Typically, 60 to 70 students — the vast majority, but not all, are theater arts majors — audition in front of the two directors. Seniors are given priority, but an actor who is clearly right for a major role will win out, Hollis says.
Auditioning is a nerve-wracking experience for most. “Everyone’s nervous as hell, going over lines, going over everything,” says senior Tyler Morrill. “I was reading my lines just fine before the audition, but when I got up there I messed up the words and the lines, and I was stuttering.” Still, Morrill wins the role of Proteus, a complicated character who is on stage for much of “Two Gentlemen.”
Stephen Dobay, a freelance scenic designer who has worked on several FDU productions and is an adjunct faculty member, has designed a flexible space that can look like a cathedral courtyard with an arched colonnade, a town square or an abstract forest.
Hollis stresses the importance of making the play’s Elizabethan language understandable. Sophomore Matt Amerman, who plays Valentine, the other male lead, acknowledges the difficulty. “It’s easier to memorizeShakespeare because it’s kind of likea song, but there’s more research —you really need to understand whatyou’re saying. You can’t paraphraseanything, and you can’t forget andmake up a line.”
After a short break, Bettina Bierly, a professional costume designer whose credits include the New York City Opera, Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey and PBS’ “Live from Lincoln Center,” arrives. Most of the actors line up to have their measurements taken while Morrill and Amerman work with Hollis on the opening scene.
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J. Michael Adams, President; Richard Reiss, Senior Vice President for University Advancement; Angelo Carfagna, Assistant Vice President for University Advancement and Communications; Okang McBride, Director of Alumni Relations; Carol Kuzen Black, Director of Publications/Senior Editor; Rebecca Maxon, Editor and Web Designer;
Contributors: Howard Libov, Tom Nugent, Melissa Payton, John Vitale
Photo/Illustration Credits: Bill Blanchard, Bill Cardoni, Gary Darden, Favorite Son Productions, Don Hamerman, David Hanson, Ted Horowitz Photography, Dan Landau, Mike Malone, Morteza Nikoubazl, Gloria Pastorino, Nick Romanenko, Danny Schwartz, Jayson Scrimizzi, Daniel Twomey, John Vitale
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