Auburn University's theatre department opened Thursday night with a performance of David Hirson's "La Bete." The performance series is the first of the season and lasts through Oct. 1.
The show is a comedy about a stubborn playwright named Elomire, played by Ben Young III, senior in theatre, and his acting troupe.
The troupe is threatened by the appearance of a rival playwright, Valere, played by Eli Jolley, senior in theatre.
Throughout the play Elomire is constantly annoyed by Valere's over-the-top attitude toward acting. Put through a test by the Prince Conti, played by Marcus Clement, junior in theatre, Valere is challenged to see if his acting skills are worthy enough to perform in the prince's own acting troupe.
Valere's tendencies to overdramatize the simplest actions push Elomire to his limit by the end of the play. Elomire keeps from going mad because of his trusty friend Bejart, played by Houston Mahoney, senior in theatre.
The interaction between all of the characters creates a comical performance to be remebered.
Taylor Galvin, junior in musical theatre and pre-medicine, plays one of the troupe members named Madeleine Bejart.
Galvin started acting when she was in second grade, but said she never thought of herself as a comedic character until college.
"Since I came to college that is all I've been cast as. I really enjoy comedic roles because it's mostly about having fun and being goofy," Galvin said.
Behind the scenes, Galvin said she has a preshow ritual she likes to do.
"I like to say a prayer before each show to thank God for giving me such wonderful opportunities," she said. "If it is a musical, I will usually do a vocal warmup and sometimes a physical one."
At Friday night's performance, the actors and actresses received a standing ovation from the audience.
"It was really good," said Ben Robertson, sophomore in communication. "It was probably one of the best I've seen, and I've been to at least three or four plays."
Tickets are free for students with a valid student ID and can be obtained at the Telfair Peet Theatre.
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