Bringing issues to the spotlight

The namesake of USD’s theatre, Wayne S. Knutson, was nearly moved to tears as he watched students perform in the production of Broadway’s “A Chorus Line.”

After decades of teaching and directing at USD, as well as fulfilling administrative positions, Knutson retired in 1987, but the students he saw perform on Sunday are the same students he has always known at USD.

“Deep down, I’ve known these people for 60 years,” Knutson said. “They haven’t changed; those glitzy young people who are always smiling and always going for it all.”

“A Chorus Line” ran on stage Feb. 26 to March 1 and 2 in the Wayne S. Knutson Theatre in the Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts. It featured 30 students on stage and involved more than 30 students backstage.

Knutson said the plot was simple in that it told a story of a group of people auditioning for a chorus line on Broadway, but the show touched him deeply because it addresses real issues that actors, as well as people of any profession, can relate with.

Knutson said the common theme in the characters’ monologues told a story of people who were struggling to fulfill their dreams, and the reality of the situation when these dreams are dashed.

“It tugs at the heart,” Knutson said. “They go through all this but they gotta’ keep smiling, they gotta’ keep dancing. Something is compelling them to do it, but you can’t help but feel like deep down it’s very sad.”

Director of musical theatre Patricia Downey wore two hats as the stage director and the choreographer for the show. She said the issues presented in “A Chorus Line” are pertinent to society and the show touched on core humanistic ideas that both the audience and cast can relate to.

As an example, Downey said the show’s song, “What I Did For Love” looks at the issue of whether one can afford to do what they love and at the cost of pursuing their passion.

“At anytime we all have incredibly busy lifestyles created for us or by us and this speaks for many of these characters,” Downey said.

Senior Mary Fitzgibbons, who has been in at least seven USD shows including “A Chorus Line,” said the intensive schedule and lifestyle student actors work around made it easy for them to connect with their characters.

“We’re all struggling to make our passions worthwhile and we all work really hard and make a lot of sacrifices,” Fitzgibbons said. “In our economy, everyone is struggling not only to make it through the day, but to be true to who they are. We found that this show wasn’t only prevalent to theatre, but to everyone’s life.”

Downey said the show was unique from other musicals USD has done because it was put together in four weeks versus six weeks. She said with 30 three-hour rehearsals over the course of those four weeks, students on average spent 160 hours on the show, not including their dance preparation. Downey said students were, in a way, living and portraying the characters’ lives simultaneously.

Downey said the students selected for the cast had to be talented actors, singers and dancers as well. The students casted knew how to dance prior to the auditions and were, for the most part, enrolled in dance classes, she said. The preparation needed for shows goes beyond scheduled rehearsals.

“When you look at any show, you’re looking at weeks, months and years of training standing on that stage in front of you,” Downey said.

Another unique aspect of the show was that some of the characters were double-casted to give more students an opportunity to showcase their talent, Downey said. She also said the show was selected because it featured 17 people who had personal monologues, meaning each role was significant in the story.

“We currently have a very deep set of talent at USD and we choose plays to match the talent we have,” Downey said. “We picked a play that would allow students to have a significant role. Our students need to be able to get their work in front of a public audience.”

Fitzgibbons said Downey gave the actors a real world opportunity to be double-casted. Though Fitzgibbons had an understudy in “Peter Pan,” she has never been double-casted before. She appreciated the experience because it’s an often occurrence in theatre.

“A Chorus Line” audience member and Vermillion resident Dan Steiner said he enjoyed learning more about the life of an actor and the auditioning process. Steiner, who has attended one other USD theatre production, said this show highlights the breadth of the talent at USD.

“It was awesome,” Steiner said. “It was a really nice and high quality deal. (The department) is a pretty classy outfit.”

Downey said in retrospect, she wouldn’t do anything differently in the production process and she was very happy with the final result.

“I believe my students have exceeded my expectations,” Downey said. “I’ve seen all of them grow tremendously in many different directions.”

Upcoming spring 2010 productions include “Fat Pig,” which will run April 21 to 25, and “Boy Gets Girl” will run March 24 to 27.

Reach reporter Ngoc Thach at Ngoc.Thach@usd.edu.

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