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'A Man with a Load of Mischief' and a cast and crew with no time for mischief By Susan DeRosia Revels Editor "A long time ago I had a director tell me. 'You really haven't stood on a set until you've built one. You haven't really worn a costume until you've made one. You don't know how to stand in your light until you've had to focus one. It's so true because you appreciate everything that everybody else is doing. Because it's not just you. It's not you. It's everything else that comes together and it's a community and it's a journey. And we're all doing this together towards one goal. " SOU theatre arts senior Darcy Silveira For the next two weekends the SOU Theatre Department is inviting playgoers to participate in entertainment Ashland-style - by having dinner and a show. As the final term of the 2002-2003 school year comes to a close, the department has mounted two plays: "Dream of a Common Language" and "Man with a Load of Mischief." "Dream," which played in the smaller of the theatre building's two stages, a "black box" theatre, was produced and directed by students. The story, written by Heather McDonald, revolves around a group of artists in 1890's France who are having a dinner party to plan an exhibition of expressionistic painting. Actually the group of artists includes both men and women but only the men are included in the planning. The women are denied a seat at the table, just as they've been denied being taken seriously as artists. The crux of the play lies in what that kind of stifling does to them, their reaction, and the reaction of the men in their world. As well as being a fascinating play and fun to watch for the audience, "Dream of A Common Language" had a very important function. It gave students in the Department of Theatre Arts the chance to show that they had learned their craft. For two of the students participating, Teauna Brosseau, the director, and S.R. Jaeggli, the scene designer, their work on the play was done as part of their thesis projects. The scenery for "Dream" is dreamlike, with some impressionist pastel colors wafting through the air to create a fluid and moveable scene design for this play about women painters who dreams have slipped out of the fingers. "Man with a Load of Mischief," on the other hand, has a set that is as substantial as the other play's is ephemeral. It's a tour de force, designed by Craig Hudson, whom many know from the Oregon Cabaret Theatre. In addition to working on projects at OCT, Hudson is a professor of theatre arts at SOU and the faculty scenic designer. He teaches several courses including one of the basis theatre arts courses. The set he's designed and built with the students is complicated and lovely, with moving parts that make it look like the outside of the inn, the inside parlor room of the inn complete with a hearth, with stairs leading upstairs, and the interior of the upstairs bedroom. For this production, Hudson has designed a balcony where guests can get a bird's eye view of the play. Working on the play are six cast members, fifteen backstage crew members, twelve members of the wait staff, a carpentry crew of ten,properties: five, lights: five, sound: three, costumes, eight - altogether, nearly 100 people, mostly students, working in all all areas of professional stage production. According to Chris Sackett, chair of the theatre arts department, between sixty and sixty-five percent of the students who attend the program want to become performers. This year the program reached the over 200 enrollment mark for the first time. With a building designed to serve 60 majors, the program has outgrown its space and is currently working on expansion. While 25 majors will graduate this year, the future looks very different. "The situation is the incoming class this year was thirty-five percent larger than last year's incoming class, which was thirty-five percent larger than the incoming class the year before, which was larger that the year before, so we're increasing at an increasing rate." Sackett attributes that the fact that the graduates are achieving success and that the department is the designated center for excellence for the state." The word has been getting out that it's a good place to learn the craft of theatre. For senior, Darcy Silveira, the department has the mix of professionalism and hands-on value that she believes will serve her well. But for those of us who are just visitors on the stage, the proof is in the pudding - or the play. If you haven't treated yourself to one of there production, you have only a few more opportunities. "Man with a Load of Mischief" has only two weekends left. Tickets are available for dinner or performance-only seating. For ticket information, call the SOU Theatre Arts Department, at 552-6348. LINKS: REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. DAILY TIDINGS: Main | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -