Auditions Open for Two Fall Theatre Productions in Seward
by Ben Middendorf
Concordia students can exercise their acting talents by auditioning for two fall theatre productions in Seward: “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” produced by the Olde Glory Theatre and directed by Matthew Lawton and “Marat/Sade,” produced by Concordia and directed by Associate Professor of Communication and Theatre Bryan Moore.
“Theatre is a collaborative art which allows students to share their talents and learn or perfect skills,” Moore said. “If students want to challenge themselves and are willing to participate in this art, I strongly encourage them to do so.”
“You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” is a musical comedy which follows the classic “Peanuts” comic characters over several holidays.
Though there were originally plans to perform the musical “Mary Poppins” as Concordia’s fall production, the musical had to be postponed due to conflicts with the renovation of Weller Hall.
Instead, Moore selected “Marat/Sade,” which was also produced by Concordia in the early 1970s. The play’s full title is “The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade.”
“From a performance standpoint, the actors are performing as inmates who are trying to perform a play about the French Revolution,” Moore said. “There’s a lot of emotionally driven material here that the inmates have to work through as they’re trying to perform this. The challenge is identifying the complexities of each of these individuals and being able to show them and see how they can all work together in this process.”
“I think the messages and conversations that can be had from this play are worth doing it here,” Moore said. “It will be tricky, but I think it’s worth the chance. I think in an academic environment, it’s good to have these dialogues and to explore the messages that are being conveyed.”
Auditions for “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” take place Aug. 27 and 28 at the Olde Glory Theatre, and the musical will be performed October 27-30.
Auditions for “Marat/Sade” will take place at 4 p.m. on Aug. 29, with callbacks on Aug. 30, in the Black Box Theatre.
Though Moore encourages all students at Concordia, regardless of their major, to try out for both productions, students can only be cast in one of the plays due to their concurrent rehearsal and performance schedules.
