{"id":81711,"date":"2022-12-02T19:53:02","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T19:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/?p=81711"},"modified":"2022-12-14T18:26:39","modified_gmt":"2022-12-14T18:26:39","slug":"uri-theatre-presents-student-run-production-of-or","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2022\/12\/uri-theatre-presents-student-run-production-of-or\/","title":{"rendered":"溏心vlog免费B站 Theatre presents student-run production of &#8216;Or,&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Dec. 2, 2022 \u2013 Aphra Behn\u2019s life story \u2013 17<sup>th<\/sup> century dramatist, poet, spy, and England\u2019s first professional female playwright \u2013 has the makings of an engrossing Netflix documentary or biopic. But for now, theater enthusiasts can enjoy a live version of Behn\u2019s story in Liz Duffy Adams\u2019 popular, bawdy farce, \u201cOr,\u201d which opens Thursday, Dec. 8, in the 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Robert E. Will Theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAphra Behn was very fascinating,\u201d said Sarah Taylor \u201923 of <strong>North Providence<\/strong>, who is directing the fully student-run production. \u201cShe was so ahead of her times. She was a bisexual woman, she believed in the bohemian ideal of love who you want, she was a spy, and she laid the groundwork for women in theater. As a woman in theater, I have so much to thank her for. And no one really knows who she is, so just telling her story was really important to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"oembed oembed-youtube-com\" style=\"\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9Bx1BOQ3mU4\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"溏心vlog免费B站 Theatre Presents &quot;Or&quot;\" width=\"1000\" height=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9Bx1BOQ3mU4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>With a lineup of historical characters \u2013 King Charles II of England, spy William Scot, actress Nell Gwynne \u2013 \u201cOr,\u201d is based on Aphra\u2019s real life. But it also embraces the contradictions of her life \u2013 spy and artist, a writer of comedies amid a time of plague, war and the Great Fire of London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2022\/12\/Or-No-2-697x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81719\" width=\"420\" height=\"618\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2022\/12\/Or-No-2-697x1024.jpg 697w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2022\/12\/Or-No-2-204x300.jpg 204w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2022\/12\/Or-No-2-768x1128.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2022\/12\/Or-No-2-1045x1536.jpg 1045w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2022\/12\/Or-No-2-1394x2048.jpg 1394w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2022\/12\/Or-No-2-364x535.jpg 364w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2022\/12\/Or-No-2-500x735.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2022\/12\/Or-No-2-1000x1469.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2022\/12\/Or-No-2-1280x1881.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2022\/12\/Or-No-2-2000x2939.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2022\/12\/Or-No-2-scaled.jpg 1742w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><figcaption>Jenna Muldoon plays the role of Aphra Behn, the first professional female playwright.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Set around 1670, the play captures Aphra during one frantic night in the parlor of her rented lodgings. Released from debtors\u2019 prison and anxious to break from the spy game, she is writing a play that must be finished by morning to secure a deal with a London producer.&nbsp; There\u2019s just one small problem. An array of lovers and friends keep barging in \u2013 amid slamming doors. As she tries to put pen to paper, there\u2019s an assassination plot to foil, a pardon to win, and an actress\u2019s charms to resist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe characters, the language, every last joke \u2013 there is nothing left to be desired in a play,\u201d said Jenna Muldoon \u201923, who plays Aphra. \u201cI think it will resonate with audiences for a myriad of reasons. As adults, we try to deny that sex is funny and that love, drama, and murder are exciting. But once we allow ourselves to indulge those feelings, Liz Duffy Adams and our characters will carry us away to a world of romance, laughter, and so much more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Muldoon, of <strong>Staten Island, New York<\/strong>, who wanted to be a writer as a child, has found a connection with the role of Aphra. \u201cShe played such a significant role in paving the way for female writers,\u201d she said. \u201cTo take on such a role is an honor, and incredibly exciting and terrifying. My biggest concern is doing her justice and exciting the audience with how remarkable she was and still is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alongside Muldoon, Peter McGreen \u201923 and Olivia Humulock \u201923 each play three characters. For all, the production presents them with a lot to unpack \u2013 learning beautiful, witty period dialogue, perfecting numerous accents, and becoming adept at the quick costume change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Understudy Liam Roberts \u201923 of Warwick, the resident expert on accents, has worked with the cast to refine the dialects for each character. For McGreen, those are the scoundrel Scot, the sensitive King Charles, and the larger-than-life theater manager Lady Davenant. For Humulock, it\u2019s Nell, Behn\u2019s servant, Maria, who Humulock plays as a \u201csassy Irish lady,\u201d and the male jailor in the first scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been difficult really carving out the differences among them,\u201d said McGreen of <strong>Wakefield<\/strong>. \u201cThe king, of course, is going to speak in the most proper, crisp, high English dialect. William Scot speaks in a Cockney accent that can be hard to understand. And then Lady Davenant \u2013 I have a low natural voice, and getting to that higher register and maintaining the accent has been a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t done a show where I did an accent. I always mess around with accents when I\u2019m joking with my friends, but for this I actually have to sit down and practice switching between an Irish and Cockney accent,\u201d said Humulock, of <strong>Narragansett<\/strong>. \u201cThe language is beautiful. You have the beautiful poetic side of Aphra reading poetry and then the more modern language. That\u2019s what makes it funny.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s all very challenging,\u201d added McGreen, who has found the art of the quick change a little like a pit stop in a NASCAR race. \u201cBut I feel good with the actors I\u2019m working with. Jenna and Olivia have been very supportive, and Sarah is a great director.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Along with being this year\u2019s student-run production, \u201cOr,\u201d is part of the Theatre Department\u2019s four mainstage productions. The student-run play is usually the season\u2019s fifth show, competing with larger mainstage productions for resources. But as a mainstage show, it has a larger production budget and its student designers have the full assistance of the professional staff used for the main productions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe staff helps a few days during a regular student-run play to offer support, but in this case, we are fully supporting the production as a mainstage,\u201d said David Howard, chair of the department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, because of construction in the Fine Arts Center, the play is being staged in the larger Will Theatre, instead of J or G Studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis show has really been a \u2018training wheels off\u2019 moment for a lot of us,\u201d said Riley Nedder \u201923, who is the costume designer. \u201cWe have the support of the department, which is wonderful as it\u2019s enabled us to accomplish things that we normally wouldn\u2019t on a student-run production. But it\u2019s a lot of students\u2019 first times doing things, which is both scary and exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nedder, of <strong>Attleboro, Massachusetts<\/strong>, has worked in the costume shop and made costumes for nine shows. But now she\u2019s the one running the fittings and choosing the fabrics, she said. For \u201cOr,\u201d she\u2019s worked on nine \u201cperiod accurate\u201d costumes that are also rigged with zippers, snaps and Velcro patches for quick changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis has been an opportunity to spread my wings and really push myself,\u201d she said. \u201cMost of the things I&#8217;ve designed previously weren&#8217;t this research intensive, or didn&#8217;t have this many practical considerations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sam Cote \u201924, of <strong>Pawtucket<\/strong>, was the assistant scenic designer for this fall\u2019s \u201cPolaroid Stories.\u201d But this is the first set he\u2019s done on his own. His design calls for a realistic house, centered around a fireplace. \u201cThe show stars three actors and is in Will Theatre, so it was quite a challenge to design a set that fit the space and didn\u2019t seem too big for the actors,\u201d he said. \u201cDesigning for the first time has allowed me to make decisions and get my vision out on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis play has given students an opportunity to showcase something that is only their work and made by students for students,\u201d added Taylor. \u201cI think that\u2019s really special because we are the next generation of artists.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cOr,\u201d<\/strong> runs Dec. 8-10 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. in Will Theatre at the Fine Arts Center, 105 Upper College Road, Kingston Campus. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for senior citizens and 溏心vlog免费B站 students, faculty and staff. Tickets can be purchased <a href=\"https:\/\/app.arts-people.com\/index.php?actions=4&amp;p=5\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/app.arts-people.com\/index.php?actions=4&amp;p=5\">online<\/a> or by calling (401) 874-5843. For more information on tickets and the University\u2019s COVID-19 policy, go to the ticket <a href=\"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/theatre\/buy-tickets\/\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pardon our appearance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Fine Arts Center, home of the Will Theatre, is undergoing construction, so patrons should use the marked entrance in the back of the building, accessed from the parking lot on Bills Road. Ushers will be on hand to direct theater-goers to the ramp to the theater area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cOr,\u201d: Student staff and designers, advisors and understudies<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Student staff and designers:<\/strong> Sarah Elizabeth Taylor, director; David Weber, assistant director; Rose Bohac, assistant director; Sam Cote, scenic designer and technical director; Riley Nedder, costume designer; Meagan Frye, student production manager and props designer; Caoilfhionn Farrell, lighting designer; Manny Maldonado, stage manager; and Zoe Pepin and Meagan Frye, student production managers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Advisors and faculty support:<\/strong> Rachel Walshe, faculty advisor to director; James Horban, faculty advisor to scenic designer; Alison Carrier, costume shop manager supervisor; Paula McGlasson, stage and production management advisor; Jacob Richards-Hegnauer, technical director; Bonnie Bosworth, publicity director and administrative assistant; Tracy Liz Miller, intimacy choreography support; and Emma Guglielmi, administrative assistant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Understudies: <\/strong>Aphra Behn \u2013 Jenson Tavares, <strong>South Kingstown<\/strong>, as Aphra Behn; Caroline Catino, <strong>North Andover, Massachusetts<\/strong>, as Nell, Maria and Jailor;Liam Roberts, <strong>Warwick<\/strong>, as King Charles II, William Scot, and Lady Davenant.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Dec. 2, 2022 \u2013 Aphra Behn\u2019s life story \u2013 17th century dramatist, poet, spy, and England\u2019s first professional female playwright \u2013 has the makings of an engrossing Netflix documentary or biopic. But for now, theater enthusiasts can enjoy a live version of Behn\u2019s story in Liz Duffy Adams\u2019 popular, bawdy farce, \u201cOr,\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":81717,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81711"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81876,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81711\/revisions\/81876"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}