Managing time for organizations, a job and school work is already hard for many students, but some add play rehearsal every day at 6:30 p.m. to their schedules.
This is what life is like for the actors and crew members involved in “The Last Night of Ballyhoo,” which will premiere on Sept. 20, 2018.
Everyone involved in the play must go to rehearsal every day after school for four hours — except on Saturdays. Leading up to the opening show, members of the play must participate in “tech week,” which lasts longer into the night.
“I basically live in the theater,” said Lauren Vedder, junior in theater and lead actress. “For all theater majors, it’s like a joke that we all live here.”
Vedder plays the part of Sunny Freitag in the show. She also works as the marketing assistant for the theater and helps make costumes on top of being a major role in the upcoming play.
“I connected a lot with Sunny in particular,” she said. “She is going through a lot of internal struggles within herself and her place in society, and who can’t really relate to that?
“A huge part of life is communicating and collaborating, and that’s all you do in theater.”
Vedder went on to explain that whether a member of the team is involved with sound, costuming or performing on stage, they are communicating with the audience, trying to get a particular idea or theme across.
“I think the only thing people don’t understand is the time commitment,” Vedder said. “We start rehearsal at 6:30 p.m., so while people are eating dinner, we’re up here at the theater working on stage and off stage. We end around 10:30 p.m., but during tech week, we’re there until we finish whatever needs to get done.”
Matt Stephenson, junior in theater, is involved in the play not only as an actor but as a crew member as well. He is part of the backstage crew and also helps the assistant stage manager. As part of his role, Stephenson helps with scene changes and moving set pieces from one place to another.
As an actor, he plays the part of the conductor.
“When the time comes, there are four different lines that I say offstage, so, I go directly from working backstage to saying this line and then back to being part of the crew,” Stephenson said.
He said that he is also a member of the War Eagle Motorcycle Club and a part of AU Players, which is centered around theater.
Stephenson said that being a part of the play offers him experience within his major, both on stage and backstage.
Vedder is excited for the premiere and said students should see the play because it has something for everyone. She said the topic is relatable, and the story reaches out to people of all ages.
“The Last Night of Ballyhoo” will have showings from Sept. 20-28, 2018, at the Telfair B. Peet Mainstage Theatre. Reservations for tickets opened Wednesday, but tickets can also be bought at the door.
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