Gabe Ortego, a local actor and director, is currently beginning rehearsal for the Eunice Players' production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? He has offered to share his experiences from the actor's point of view with this blog. This is Part 1:
I love Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. I have been in love with this play since I saw OLT’s production almost ten years ago. It is one of those plays that will entertain you and make you think all at once. Every time I have read the play or watched the classic movie, I have always walked away with a new view on the strange and twisted events that unfold that night at George and Martha’s house. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me break down the story for those of you who may not be familiar with Edward Albee’s play. The play is set one fateful night at the home of George and Martha. After returning home from a faculty party thrown by Martha’s father, who is president of the university where George teaches, the couple is expecting guests. The guests are Nick and Honey, a new Biology professor (or Math professor if you listen to Martha) and his wife. Once the young couple arrives, they are quickly caught up in the perverse mind games that George and Martha play to help pass the time. When Edward Albee first wrote this play back in 1962, it was groundbreaking because never before had mature subject matter like this been presented in mainstream theatre. Even the movie was considered ahead of its time, it even lead to the institution of the MPAA rating system we have for movies today.
Are you interested yet? Good, I wanted to get you interested. I am hoping that this blog will make you interested enough to make the long trek to Eunice to see our show. I promise you won't want to miss this one.
Let me just tell you about the glorious cast that our incredibly talented director, Jody Powell, has assembled for this production. Deborah D. Ardoin (Debbie to us in the cast) gets to add Martha to the long list of varied character parts that she has portrayed throughout her theatre career. There is absolutely no one who has graced the Eunice stage that can begin to touch Debbie in this role. I really am enjoying watching her build this character and I believe she is bringing things to the role that Uta Hagen ( the original Broadway Martha) herself would have never thought of bringing to the role. Then there is David McGee who is playing George. He wanted this part so bad; you could see it in his eyes at auditions. I believe David has quite a few cards up his sleeve that he is not showing us yet at rehearsal. I can’t wait till he does show them because it will be fireworks for sure when George and Martha perform their exorcism (you will get this reference after you see the show).
The other member of the cast besides myself is the wonderful, Bonnie Pitre. I am so excited to share the stage with her again. I have been performing in community theatre for almost ten years now and I have never acted opposite a more giving actor. This girl never has a “Look at Me” moment. There is absolutely no vanity with her on stage and that is something almost unheard of in the theatre. I have been joking that Bonnie and I will become the poor man’s Van Reed and Kevin Miller (that joke is for the Eunice Patrons who will know who I am talking about) because this is our second play within six months where we play opposite each other. Now instead of being the gay guy and the hippie chick from Providence, we are the sexy younger couple who might have a few secrets of their own. I guess you can’t accuse Bonnie and I of not trying to stretch as actors because trust me our parts in this play couldn’t be more different than the ones we played in Providence. If you don’t believe me then ask Jody because she directed us in both plays.
So far after the first two weeks of rehearsal, we have finally blocked the play. I know that rehearsing this three act monster will bring about new challenges and some fun back stage stories. Next week I hope to have a few to share with you and I will also post some pictures. And maybe together, we can finally answer the age old question: Who exactly is afraid of Virginia Woolf?
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