ONU Students Prepare for a Weekend of Laughter
The energy within the performance room of Tiah Guthrie’s one-act play, “Three Men and a Brenda,” is nothing short of comedic.
Olivet Nazarene University’s Theatre Department is putting on a weekend of one-act performances, which are 8- to 15-minute productions that the students of the Directing class have been working towards as their final project.
Guthrie chose “Three Men and a Brenda” as her one-act, and she and her classmates went through a casting night to choose their preferred performers. Guthrie recounts the audition process through the eyes of a director in the following audio clip.
“It was so easy,” said Jacquelin Heavner, when asked about the audition process for an actor. Heavner is also cast in another one-act, “Sure Thing” directed by Sydney Lang.
The actors were given two different days to sign up for a five-minute slot and recite a prepared monologue. Some actors, such as Makenzie Shride, were asked to redo their monologues with a different intention for variety.
The One-Act
Guthrie’s one-act play has a total of four actors: Jacquelin Heavner, Makenzie Shride, Maya Spears, and Chloe Cunnington. Heavner is playing Joe, a friend to Bob, played by Shride. Spears is Randall, a company new hire, and Cunnington is playing Brenda, the sought-after woman.
Guthrie’s one-act play is played by all women, despite three of the characters being men, but she says that that is the original intention. Guthrie mentions how she loves comedies, and that after reading through the play the first time she knew she wanted to do one herself.
Upon sitting in on a rehearsal, it is clear the actors and director are all passionate about their performance. There were smiles on everyone’s faces as they ran through lines, and there was an energetic air all around. Shride and Heavner, playing Jo and Bob, bounced off each other to a comedic degree and were not shy about playing into over-exaggerated manly behaviors.
“Most challenging? … Figuring out how to walk like a man,” said Heavner. She then explained how she followed around one of her male friends and imitated his walking pattern to better get into character.
Joys and Stresses
“One of the best parts of being involved is getting to work with Tiah,” said Shride. Guthrie is one of Shride’s close friends, yet Shride had not been in one of Guthrie’s performances before. Shride also enjoys the dynamic that the actors and director all share during rehearsals.
“Hardest part is, honestly, focusing,” said Shride. She mentioned that because they are all close friends, rehearsals can sometimes get derailed, but other than that, there were not that many challenges.
When asked whether the end of the semester is creating stress for her, Shride agrees that there is a stressful energy around the one acts and around other performances in general, but it is also a fun break for them all.
It was a fun experience getting to sit in on rehearsal and see their one-act in action, even if their set pieces mainly consisted of rolling chairs. There is no doubt that their live performance at Sims Theatre are going to leave all who watch it laughing and enjoying their time.
Make sure to see, “Three Men and a Brenda” on April 25, at 7 p.m. or April 26 at 2 p.m. at the Sims Blackbox Theater in Bourbonnais, IL.
