VCUarts Theatre students collaborate to produce supernatural thriller
Students working on production. Photo by Arrick Wilson.
Emily McCauley, Contributing Writer
From acting in the show to choreographing fight scenes, students have been working together on various theatrical aspects to produce the upcoming mainstage VCUarts Theatre production.
VCUarts Theatre students and faculty present “Let the Right One In” from Oct. 5 through 8 at W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts. The supernatural thriller is directed by Wes Seals, according to the VCUarts website.
Kayla Brown, theater major and stage manager for the show, said theater students feel very excited to share their work with the audience.
“This process has been six or seven weeks so far and the show’s just really coming together,” Brown said.
For “Let the Right One In” the students and faculty had rehearsals every weekday for four hours and on Saturday for five hours, according to Brown.
“I’m in charge of gathering information at the weekly production meetings from the departments of scenic, costumes, lighting, sound and I also have a team that helps with that,” Brown said.
The show uses combat and blood and works to hide the tricks so the audience doesn’t see them, according to Brown.
Brown hopes the audience feels a deep connection with the two main characters and leaves the show with a lot to think about, she said.
“I hope they laugh, I hope they cry. I hope that they just feel all the feelings they want to feel,” Brown said.
The horror show includes many technical and theatrical elements, and working with the elements is a new learning experience for many of the students, according to Fio Lo Presti, a theater major cast as Eli in the show.
The students have been working hard in rehearsals to ensure the technical details are both realistic and spectacular, according to Lo Presti.
Horror is a hard genre to pull off in person, but it is cool looking when done well, Lo Presti said.
“Majoring in theater, I have been able to expand my knowledge about theater and what it takes to put on a production and be a part of this career, and it’s really helped me in ways outside of theater and acting,” Lo Presti said.
It is important for the students to experience the role they are studying in a hands-on manner, said Bonnie McCoy, chair of the Department of Theatre at VCU.
VCUarts Theatre faculty’s role is to give theater students the supervision and oversight to ensure they are prepared to enter the profession once they graduate, according to McCoy.
“Let the Right One In” is an award winning Swedish movie many people are familiar with, but the VCUarts Theatre production is its own unique show, McCoy said.
These students are learning to set up blood effects and the experiences each production brings have important learning outcomes the students can use in the real world, McCoy said.
Ivana Thompson, theater major and associate fight choreographer for the production, said VCUarts Theatre gives students an opportunity to have agency over what they do.
“I am working alongside the main fight choreographer who is Tippy Hart – she is one of the faculty members at VCUarts Theatre – and our job is to create violence that helps to move the story along,” Thompson said.
Students learn new skills, such as stage combat, from their VCUarts Theatre professors while collaborating, according to Thompson.
Main themes in the show are survival and companionship in a crazy world, according to Thompson. She hopes the audience feels connected to the show.
Tickets are $15 and discounted tickets are available for students, alumni, seniors and VCU community members, according to its website.
