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`When you step into Rafters Theater on the top floor of Dutcher Hall, you may as well have entered a Greek amphitheater. The dim lighting, ominous music, and foreboding scenery set the mood perfectly for the equally haunting performance that will soon unfold upon the stage. Sophocles’ tragic tale of the doomed ruler is a tragedy of the classical variety that, to this day, continues to captivate audiences around the world.
Directed by Mr. Tony Elliot, University Theatre’s adaption draws on both traditional and modern themes to create a bold performance that will fascinate you from start to finish. The opening scene, in which a chorus of desperate supplicants recalls the prophecy of Apollo, creates a mood of woe and foreboding. Oedipus (Matthew Hudacs) enters the scene and beholds his once-glorious city that has been felled by misfortune and disease, and the political thriller that unfolds is one of fate, moral quagmires, and the flaws of humanity.
You can catch the show this weekend on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8:00 PM, and on Sunday at 2:00 PM. Tickets can be purchased at the SMC Ticket Office or at the door. The ticket prices are as follows: $10.00 General Admission, $7.00 MU-ID (at the door), Senior Citizens, and other students, $5.00 MU-ID (SMC advance sales).
Last week, I sat down with Hudacs, Stage Manager Jamel Baker, Christina Rivera (Palace Messenger) and Philip Vonada (Messenger) for a roundtable interview about their characters and experiences in the show:
Q: We’ve got a very diverse group of people here. Some of you are new to theatre here and some of you have been around for years. When did you first get involved?
Jamel: Well, I had to because it’s my major. I didn’t start doing shows until….
Matthew: Wasn’t Little Shop of Horrors your first show?
Jamel: Yeah, I guess it was. I had just been on house staff before then. So that was my first.
Phil: I got started my freshman year, which would have been three years ago. Oh my god, I’m old! Since then I’ve done a lot of stuff with ACMO and University Theatre.
Matthew: My first show was my freshman year, four years ago. It was Anne Frank.
Christina: Who were you?
Matthew: The diary (laughter). No, I was Peter, the little boy. I guess I’ve done a show here every year…
Phil: Every semester, I think.
Matthew: Yes, every semester since then.
Christina: Well, this is my freshman year at Millersville and I got started last semester. I went and auditioned for “Hair” and I got in. I met a lot of people there who helped me get involved in a lot of things: Citamard Short Plays, the Improv Troupe, “The Vagina Monologues,” and now “Oedipus.”
Q: I’ve gotten the impression that this show is a more modern adaption.
Phil: Modern in the sense that it’s post-modern. It’s sort of post-apocalyptic, based off of the look and feel of Mad Max.
Jamel: Without the ass-less chaps (laughter).
Phil: The costumes are very provocative, edgy, sort of like a war-torn society, lots of rips and tears.
Christina: I wear torn fishnets, so that’s new. Somebody has biker spikes…
Matthew: Glenn does.
Christina: The costume designers were trying to find a place to put one of those ammo belts on someone.
Phil: It’s really interesting with the language still being the original language, written in verse, but it’s a little more modern. It’s a slight juxtaposition at times, but only a little bit.
Christina: Also, in the original, you would just stand and give your line. In this we’re giving the characters emotion and background. We’re reacting to what other people say.
Q: Was that written into the version of the script you’re using or was that Tony’s interpretation?
Matthew: Everything is Tony’s.
Phil: There is absolutely no acting or blocking written into the script. It is literally just the lines. What we’ve added in is not just Tony, we all threw ideas out…
Christina: I really wanted ass-less chaps as a costume piece.
Matthew: And then we realized that we wanted to keep people in their seats.
Q: Oedipus is such a challenging role to play. How did you get into that role and become the character?
Matthew: Because I’m directing now, I always consider the “magic if” in all scenarios. I’ve got to try to avoid the inevitable, which turns out coming true anyway in the story. It took a lot of imagination stretching, but I think I eventually found what it needed to be. It’s also difficult because this is my first straight play with no comedy.
Christina: This is your first drama?
Matthew: Yeah, I think. Even in “Anne Frank” I had some funny bits, but this has been a tough one. At no point can I crack a smile, as difficult as it is.
Phil: Matt can actually get really scary at times.
Christina: Oh, he does. When he’s screaming at Cithaeron and he slams his chest…
Phil: The way that Matt characterizes is very deep and I can feel his turmoil. The chorus has emotional lines but not to the depth that Matt does. He’s racked with personal struggles and self-doubt, but also wants to protect everyone in Thebes. You can feel his heart. He’s really into it. It’s inspiring to me.
Q: What about the rest of your characters?
Phil: For me, I’m an outsider to Thebes, where this is all happening. I come in with a really positive attitude about the news I’m about to give. That’s kind of who I am, I always try to keep positive and even when I’m giving Matt bad news at one point, sort of ruining his life, I still try to be positive. It wasn’t hard to connect to my character. In fact, it was harder to connect to the other characters around me. I just spent a semester in London and so I came in as an outsider.
Christina: He’s the only happy character in the whole play, he comes along and everyone begins to ask “Why is he so happy? Did I miss something?”
Phil: Also in the makeup, I’m a lot tanner than the rest of you.
Christina: Are you?
Phil: Yes, you’re all pale and dying. I get to be jovial.
Q: When you’re up there as a chorus member, how do you keep yourself interested and in character?
Matthew: I remember that there were some times I’d look at Christina and see her yawning.
Christina: Hey! Hold on, hold on…
Phil: No, no, I’ve seen it happen. Especially if you’ve been in a show for months, it’s hard.
Christina: Yesterday, I was constantly yawning. When you’re in the chorus, you spend a lot of time on stage doing absolutely nothing. For a while, it was a challenge to stay connected. It’s also not like a high school drama, where everybody knows each other. In “Hair,” we all had to get naked together so we got comfortable with each other really quickly. In Oedipus, you’re not getting naked. It was a little more difficult to get to know people. I actually didn’t know everyone’s names until a week ago.
Phil: Wow! You’re worse than me.
Christina: I don’t talk to them! But the cool thing is that everyone is really nice, and they all obviously want to be in this show as much as I do. It’s really hard, like I said, for all of us to stand still. Especially when we yawn. (Laughter)
Q: Tell me a little bit more about Tony. What is his style of directing and how has he helped you grow as a cast?
Matthew: Tony’s style of directing…he has his show in mind, everything he wants is in his head before the rehearsals even start. The problem is that all of the actors, metaphorically here, have the key to unlock his vision. He won’t tell you straight out. Once you have unlocked it and understand it, he gives you free reign to do what you want.
Phil: Tony has really been really fantastic to work with. He understands that we need to get to know each other as a cast, whereas some directors are just focused on getting it done and getting out. He’s let us grow with each other and play around with our characters. He constantly asks me “What are you, what are you thinking?”. He’s very interested in our emotions. He’s really put together a great show.
Q: Jamel, what is it like working with him behind the scenes? And what about your specific duties as Stage Manager?
Jamel: Well, there’s literal definition of what a stage manager does, but they really do that and then a million other things.
Christina: I think stage managers are gods.
Jamel: Working behind the scenes with Tony is interesting; it’s my first show working with him in this role. He pretty much always wants the person to stay on top of things and he will tell you to email this person, be prepared for this and you know, put your foot down and just be an a**hole. Unfortunately that’s what the job calls for to some extent.
Q: How did the other faculty members contribute?
Jamel: Victor (Capece) did everything with the sets.
Christina: Victor was amazing! I did not, going into the show, think the set would look as good as it does. I was just absolutely amazed. He put such little details into it that makes it look fantastic.
Jamel: It was hard to envision when it was just a bunch of flats with paint on them, but once he added all of the texture and detail it just looked great.
Christina: Tina (Stout) does a lot as well.
Jamel: Tina gets the word out. She talks to the radio stations, MUTV, she basically does all of the promotional work. So, any advertising that you see for the show on the website or around campus is hers.
Q: There’s always a lot going on around campus, so why come see Oedipus, especially if you’re not a ‘theatre person’?
Jamel: It’s a good show! I mean, if they know of Oedipus, they should be interested to see it. It’s a great story. When you add the awesome cast we have, especially Matthew, it’s a big draw.
Christina: I mean, it’s Sophocles. English majors should be flocking to this show! I also think the modern take we’re putting on it would interest people. If anything, come see it for the costumes and the set. And Matt does a really great job, he never seems like he’s acting. I really believe that he slept with his mom!