Some students have a clear picture of what they want to do with their lives. Heather Lobe, sophomore theatre arts major, is one of those people. Lobe says, “Theatre is all I’ve ever wanted to do with my life since I was four years old and my mother took me to a children’s theatre performance.”
With Gordon’s recent production of Shakespeare’s comedy Love’s Labour’s Lost, the Theatre Department has once again grabbed the attention of the campus and the course of conversations, with students asking each other, “Have you seen the play yet?” The production spotlights a portion of Gordon which may not be familiar to many of us. The theatre majors on campus are constantly working to create and bring life to their artistic visions.
It’s clear that these students have a passion for their studies and the practice of their art. Freshman Carissa Gerber states that she probably spends two to three hours a day in the theatre during the regular semester and eight hours a day during the production’s tech week. Natalie Miller, senior Theatre and English double major and lead in Love’s Labour’s Lost, spent the day before the opening night fully booked. Waking at 6:00am, she spent almost the whole day in Barrington for rehearsals, class, costumes fittings and a final dress rehearsal before the big night, not returning home until 11:30pm.
Aside from the commitment of hours, theatre classes involve a mix of theory, history, tech (i.e. stage building and lighting) and practical classes. A year-end review session also assesses every theatre student’s strengths and weaknesses. Lobe says, “It’s nerve-wracking but nice because the professors care about you; that’s not always the case at other schools.”
If you talk to any of these students, the passion and energy they express for their discipline is something that can be lacking in other majors. Lobe, Gerber and Miller are quick to praise the way that performing brings them together with the other theatre majors as well as the audience. All three of them talk about the importance of community and collaboration in performance and everyday student life. Gerber calls it “team storytelling,” and says that the creation of a dynamic production can profoundly impact a person.
These women also enjoy experiencing the different aspects of theatrical production that the major allows. In Barrington, theatre majors seem willing to do whatever needs to be done to get the show running—anything from working on the lighting, making a prop, sewing a costume or helping someone rehearse lines. Miller agrees, “I’ve done tech for every show: ones that I’ve been in and ones that I haven’t. I’ll fit someone for a costume and then I’ll be on stage with them.”
So do you think you’re up for a challenge? Gerber encourages people to come and see. “Anyone can audition for a show or come work for the day. There are some great people here and it’s a good bonding time!”
