A word with the Nerd
He wears thick black-rimmed glasses, suspenders, a bow tie and short-sleeved white shirt with a pocket full of pens. His sunken chest makes him slouch. He has a nasal Wisconsin accent. He is the walking definition of awkward.
He is Rick Steadman, the title character in Larry Shue’s “The Nerd.
He wears thick black-rimmed glasses, suspenders, a bow tie and short-sleeved white shirt with a pocket full of pens. His sunken chest makes him slouch. He has a nasal Wisconsin accent. He is the walking definition of awkward.
He is Rick Steadman, the title character in Larry Shue’s “The Nerd.” The play opens this weekend and is directed by guest artist Drew Fracher. Steadman is played by VCU junior theatre performance major Frank Alfano, 22. Alfano said it is an honor and a challenge to be cast in the title role.
“This is one of the first times I really noticed how many levels it takes to build a character – breath, body, voice, posture – then on top of that you’ve got lines, behavior and action,” Alfano said.
The costume helps Alfano get into character. When he puts on his glasses he fully becomes Steadman. He closes his nose and changes his breath pattern. Voice coach Dan Dennis helped Alfano find the vocal mannerisms of a Wisconsin accent.
At two points in this comedic play, Alfano has to run horrible images through his head just to keep a straight face. He literally bites a pillow at one point to keep from laughing. Alfano said he hopes the audience laughs as much watching the show as the actors did creating it.
“Sometimes things happen that you don’t expect and they catch you off guard. You have to train yourself to keep going,” Alfano said. “There is a phrase that Drew has used more than once. . . which is, ‘Death is easy, comedy is hard!’ ”
“The Nerd” has only rehearsed for five weeks. Main-stage productions usually rehearse for between six and 16 weeks. Alfano said the pressure of time constraints can be helpful, and it is more like what happens in the professional world.
Alfano said it’s easy to create a strong bond with guest directors. Often they’ll even go out for lunch or drinks together. Alfano said there is more riding on the line when a guest director is involved. It is a very professional atmosphere because the director works in the field.
This is Alfano’s fourth main-stage show, but his first leading role. He was Baron Tusenbach in “Three Sisters,” Jack Warner in “Shakespeare in Hollywood” and understudy for all 13 white males in “The Civil War.”
Alfano is originally from Jacksonville, Fla. He chose VCU because it has one of the best theater programs on the East Coast. Alfano said a highlight of the program is working with guest directors who work in the business, rather than just teach in it.
