The Fall 2024 UD Drama Department Senior Studios are “The Flattering Word” by George Kelly and directed by Sienna Abbott, and “Ways and Means” by Noël Coward and directed by Braden Barber.
For those who are unfamiliar with what a senior studio is and how it is produced, here is a brief outline: The plays (which are only one act) are picked by drama majors during their junior year and the students spend an entire semester preparing for the production of their play. they spend hours of research to become experts on the play and its playwrights; they also start selecting managers and design teams. These people will be the backbone of the studio and help in executing the student’s vision.
The drama majors are then split into groups; some to put on their studios in the fall semester and others in the spring semester of their senior year.
At the beginning of the semester, the seniors hold auditions, open to the UD public.All seniors putting on a studio that semester are present at the auditions. Those auditioning do not get to choose which studio they want to audition for; they audition for both at the same time. After auditions, the seniors negotiate with each other to select actors.
The rehearsals begin shortly after the auditions. While less time-consuming than a Mainstage production due to the size difference, the actors involved in the studios are extensively trained by the studio director throughout the entire semester. There are certain rehearsals in which the chair of the Drama department will visit to view the progress of the studio and give productive criticism to the senior director. The actual run of the show lasts only two days, with three performances: two nights and one matinee.
The two senior studios this semester are being directed by Braden Barber and Sienna Abbott. Barber’s studio, “Ways and Means,” is about a married couple whose gambling addictions have caught up with each other. The original director and playwright, Noël Coward, wrote “Ways and Means” as a cycle of six (eventually ten) plays to be performed at the Manchester Opera House and co-starred in them with Gertrude Lawerence.
Abbott’s play, “The Flattering Word,” was originally written as a pair in 1916. But let us hear directly from Abbott herself:
“[The play] is a passionate, satirical comedy in which a professional actor disrupts the world of a rural pastor, who believes that the church is directly opposed to the theater. The actor uses flattery to open the minds of parsonage residents, revealing that perhaps the pastor and the actor are more alike than they initially thought.
“The most important themes are open-mindedness, interaction of the church and the theater, and the power of flattery over people. The character of Eugene Tesh, a distinguished dramatic star played by JD Self, humorously challenges the church, which highlights tensions between religion and the theater.
“I love that ‘The Flattering Word’ is simultaneously an outrageous vaudeville comedy and a question piece. I chose it because I think that audiences will take pleasure in the delightful characters and comic bits, but I think the themes within Kelly’s play are worthy of reflection and discussion.
“The production process has been thrilling. I’m proud of the wide range of academic interests represented within the artists working on this play. You may be shocked that your favorite bio major or physics student is performing or designing, but you will be even more shocked when you see the excellent work they are doing to bring this story to life. It is a star-studded group of actors and designers that will certainly dazzle audiences,” Abbott said.