Student actors will take four audiences down the rabbit hole this weekend in the Cabaret Theatre.
Recently, Capital students have performed a variety of comedies, but the drama Rabbit Hole will provide the performers and the audience with a wide range of emotions. Simply put, it is a sad play, but one that is sure to draw the audience in.
The play’s plot centers around the death of a small child and the way that the boy’s family deals with the gut-wrenching loss.
David Lindsay-Abraire’s writing allows the audience to empathize with the characters.
“We chose to put on Rabbit Hole because it is an important American play, and it should be recognized for that. There is a reason it won a Pulitzer Prize, it truly deserves the award,” William Kennedy, director of theatre, said.
Another reason that Rabbit Hole was chosen this season was to provide students with a new and exciting facet in their acting careers and to have the audience experience a new type of play, Kennedy said.
Many of the performers have become used to comedic plays and are used to getting laughs on stage, so it has been a challenge for some to adjust to this new genre.
“The performers have been doing an excellent job with the change and have very much put everything they have into their new roles,” Kennedy said.
While every play presents its own unique set of challenges for the performers to overcome, the cast really enjoys working with each other and has enjoyed stepping up to the challenge as a team.
Other integral roles in producing the play, such as set design, have also done very well with the adjustment to a realistic play from more comedic ones. Since Rabbit Hole is hyper-realistic, the set had to reflect that and the designers have worked hard to put together a very believable set.
Rabbit Hole is being performed in the Cabaret Theatre (located in the basement of the Campus Center). Opening night is tonight at 8 p.m., and the play will be performed at the same time Friday and Saturday.
The final performance will be a matinee Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are free for Capital students, $7 for adults and $5 for students at other schools and seniors.
Auditions will be held soon after the close of Rabbit Hole for the next play, Rabbit Hole , to be performed in February.
Get to know the cast
Hannah Richardson
Major: Vocal Performance
Year: Senior
Role: Izzy (rebellious younger sister)
What is challenging about the role: Well, my character gets knocked up, so there’s that. She’s a little rough around the edges and there’s a fair amount of profanity, which will be interesting when my grandparents come to watch.
What is the most exciting part about the role: I eat in every scene. The incomparable Erin Elizabeth Brown is baking cakes and tortes and other delicious things for me to chow down on every night. I am definitely ok with the arrangement.
Adam Huffman
Major: Criminology (theatre minor)
Year: Senior
What is your role in the play: Howie (the father)
What is the most challenging part personally about your role in this play: The seriousness of the play. Usually I have done comedies in the past, so I’m used to getting some laughs. Plus, I yell a lot in this show, so the strain on my voice is definitely a challenge.
How do you feel about having to do a more serious play: It’s definitely a challenge. Like I said before, I’ve done a lot of comedies. I think it’s great though to try out the more serious acting, but I will have to get used to the stunned silence from the audience when I start laying into the other cast members on stage.
Cameron Girard
Major: Music Technology
Year: Junior
What is your role in the play: Jason
What is your favorite memory in the play so far: The various inappropriate but hilarious dead kid jokes.
What is the most challenging part personally about your role in this play: David Lindsay-Abaire’s realistic dialogue has to be genuinely executed, it’s very easy to over-act, so it is necessary to be careful with how you handle the character.
Ella Douglass
Majors: Theatre, Electronic Media and Film, Public Relations
Year: Senior
What is your role in the play: Becca Corbett
What is the most challenging part personally about your role in this play: When the play begins, it is eight months after a major tragedy has occurred in the family. While it was easy for me to imagine how such a tragedy would affect me initially, it was much harder to figure out how it might feel eight months later, when some time has passed and the characters have had some time to process things. In real life when we deal with tough times we don’t become one dimensional- we still laugh, we still love, we still fight, we still hope, and yes, we also cry. The challenge is to portray a character that the audience cares about and wants to see come through this, not one who has given up completely.
Jennifer Charvat
Major: Theatre Studies
Year: Senior
What is your role in the play: Nat
What is the most challenging part personally about your role in this play: My character is over 60 years old and I am used to playing younger roles so the whole process has been quite a challenge. The play is one of the most realistic shows we have done here in a little while, so taking on an older persona while physically representing an older woman has been a great deal of work for me.
How do you feel about having to do a more serious play: I have been a part of mostly comedies since I have been at Capital so it’s a nice change. Even though the play deals with some sad issues, it’s not all tears and drama, there are actually some funny moments involved.
