This semester the Drama department is proudly presenting “A Respectable Wedding” by Bertolt Brecht and “Glory in the Flower” by William Inge. They are being directed by Ben Thomas and Alice Forget, senior drama majors.
According to Thomas, “A Respectable Wedding” is about “a bride and groom trying to celebrate their wedding dinner in their new home, surrounded by friends, family, and the groom’s homemade furniture.
“Unfortunately, the celebrations are overshadowed by one thing: The Bride is pregnant and everybody knows it. It doesn’t take long for the fragile peace to fall apart, resulting in broken trust, broken furniture and at least one broken marriage.
“A big part of the play that speaks to me is how much social norms and expectations can warp people’s perceptions of each other, how they interact, and how that manifests in relationships. At its core ‘A Respectable Wedding’ is a satire about how silly and hypocritical upper-middle class respectability culture is.
“The process has been a whirlwind. From furniture construction to directing rehearsals it has been the most tiring, wonderful, exciting, stressful thing a UD student could do outside of Rome. I’m grateful for every second of it.”
“Glory in the Flower,” according to Forget, “is a poignant, bittersweet drama set in the 1950s in which two old high-school lovers, Bus and Jackie, meet up at their hometown bar twenty years later. Bus wants to rekindle their old love and Jackie must decide whether to give in to the glory in the past or move forward with her life.
“While there’s a lot of chemistry because the characters used to be in love, it’s interesting to see them weaponize their relationship against each other. These characters chase big dreams but can’t shake attachments to their old life. It follows my path as a senior chasing big dreams next year but still holding onto my love for UD.”
Ben Vines, junior physics major and actor for the Groom in “A Respectable Wedding,” says, “It’s been a fun couple of months. The most rewarding part of it all has been getting to know my castmates, they’re awesome and an immensely talented group of people, and it’s been a blast working with them.”
Sharbel Habchy, senior computer science major, who plays Bus Riley in “Glory in the Flower,” says, “As my UD career comes to a close, I can also relate to Bus moving to Hollywood and starting new. His stardom dreams never came through, he won’t let anyone back home know that. He’s spent his whole life running away, and it doesn’t seem like that’s gonna change any time soon.
“This play has been super great for me, showing me that I can’t just let past mistakes get buried by time, they’ll always be there no matter how fast you run, it’s our job to bring them to the light.”
Sarah Rondeau, senior education major, who plays Jackie Bowen from “Glory in the Flower,” says, “Truthfully, Jackie is a bit more brazen than I am. I tend to sugarcoat and avoid conflict, whereas Jackie prefers a more direct communication style.
“My pressure to perform has afforded me the opportunity to make some wonderful connections with the cast and crew of ‘Glory in the Flower.’ Professionally, I’ve been so blessed to learn more about the world of theater. Personally, I’ve been able to build excellent connections with the cast and crew of our little show!”
Rachel Nolan, freshman biology major and stage manager of “A Respectable Wedding,” is an integral part of the production process. She says, “I had zero experience in drama. As stage manager I primarily keep rehearsals on time and act as a messenger between the director, cast, and crew.
“The most challenging aspect has been simply learning all the things I am expected to do. Watching the play come together is the most rewarding aspect, and actually growing understanding of how drama productions come about.”
Chloe Shearer, senior psychology major with concentrations in drama and biopsychology and stage manager for “Glory in the Flower,” says, “This is the sixth production I have stage managed in my time here at UD, and the fourth senior studio I have stage managed. Due to my thesis workload, I had to step down from managing Mainstages, and also wanting to support my fellow seniors in their shows!
“I am so proud of the drama majors, seeing how they have grown from our freshman year, all meeting each other while working on senior studios, to ending our time together doing the same thing.”