Junior theater major Frank Alfano will be making his premiere on the VCU stage when “Shakespeare in Hollywood” opens Thursday.
Alfano will play Jack Warner, a movie producer and a “straight-talking money man.”
“He’s there to make a movie, and that’s it,” Alfano said of his character. “It’s based on the real Jack Warner who was known for being the biggest jerk in the history of Hollywood. I’ve been told it was made for me.”
“It’s the most fun I’ve had with a show,” Alfano said of preparing for the role. “It’s challenging because the style is real specific. But the plot is so outrageous and the people are so wonderful, it’s been the best time.”
Alfano said he believes working with director B.T. McNicholl was the biggest influence on his preparation for the role.
“I’ve learned more from him than any director that I’ve ever worked with,” he said. “He’s so great at working with the actors to create this work. It’s rare to find a director and cast that works together this well.”
Alfano had similar praise for his co-stars.
“The other actors give me so much to work with onstage,” he said. “It’s really a golden cast.”
While Rebekah Bayles may be playing her second major role in a VCU production, it’s her first that isn’t the result of being forced into the spotlight after a freak accident.
In “Metamorphoses” last February, Bayles, a junior theater major, found herself playing a lead role after an actress fell down a flight of stairs and was hospitalized.
“It was really fun,” Bayles said, “and a really great experience just stepping up when you have to.”
Bayles will be playing Lydia Lansing, an aspiring actress set to play Helena in the production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which the play centers around.
“She is the blond bomb shell character and kind of a ditz,” Bayles said. “She’s a bad actress, but wants to be in better movies than her producer (and boyfriend) is putting her in. She’s known for being in B-movies. She says some of the dumbest things, but she’s so excited to be in the picture.”
After the stress of playing a lead role to being a member of an ensemble, Bayles said playing Lydia has been an enlightening change.
“I’m having a blast with this character,” she said. “I really just go on stage and play. I can just let go. It’s really been a relief working on this show.”
Monica Dionysiou, a junior theater major, will be appearing as Puck, a Shakespearean “sprite” character from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
“He’s a mischief maker,” Dionysiou said. “It’s a lot of fun. It’s a very physical role, a lot of bouncing around. It’s hard because it’s a non-human character. Puck gets very swept into the 1930s Hollywood era and starts dressing and talking like them.”
To prepare for the role, Dionysiou said director BT McNicholl gave the cast a list of movies to watch to give them a sense of the time period in which “Shakespeare in Hollywood” takes place.
“It’s a very style-oriented play,” Dionysiou said. “It’s very different from movies and plays now. We watched films to understand what people did differently then.”
This will be Dionysiou’s first role in a VCU production. “It’s wonderful. It’s much bigger than anything I’ve done here,” she said. “We have a very large cast, which is pretty cool.”
“It’s a very ensemble-oriented show. There’s no leads,” Dionysiou said of working with the cast. “A lot of times there’s a ranking based on who you play, but there’s none of that with this show.”
Dionysiou said she believes the audience will enjoy the lightheartedness that the cast exudes. “It’s a magical show,” she said. “It’s not heavy. There’s no overlying message that will beat you over the head. It’s just fun.”
Sophomore Maddie Smeltzer will be playing aspiring actress Olivia Darnell, a young woman new to the ways of Hollywood.
“I tried to connect with her personality from what I could get out of the play,” Smeltzer said of preparing for the role. “I tried to start thinking the way she would think. I feel like I’ve made a pretty good connection with who she is. She’s actually very similar to me.”
In addition to tapping into her character’s persona, Smeltzer found guidance in director BT McNicholl, who was also open to the cast’s ideas.
“I’ve learned a lot from him,” she said. “He’s really easy to work with and really gets in there and collaborates with the actors and really listens to what you have to say. It’s a very collaborative process.”
After eight weeks of preparation, Smeltzer said she feels that the audience will see how much work went into the production.
“I think it’s going to be really visually exciting,” she said. “We’ve got beautiful costumes and beautiful sets and we’ve all worked really hard. We’ve had a really long rehearsal period. Everything about it is going to be really great, and we’re ready for an audience.”