The Newman University community caught a fever over the weekend. The only cure – more hay.
Newman University Theatre presented Hay Fever – a play written by Noel Coward from Oct. 8-11. All performances were well attended – even selling out on Friday and Saturday.
Preparing for Hay Fever involved a great deal of coordination in order to overcome many obstacles.
The Guest Director for Hay Fever, Alison Bridget Chambers, had just finished acting in an unrelated play the week before Hay Fever opened. This made the rehearsal schedule more erratic than usual.
Generally, it is preferred to have a strong cast of upper-level students to deliver a successful performance. Out of a cast of nine – five of those performing in Hay Fever were freshman. All cast members exemplified those of graduate-level actors.
The original script called for many scenes where the characters were smoking cigarettes. Newman University Director of Theatre and producer of Hay Fever Mark Mannette said, “We wound up cutting a lot of it and limited it to two smokers. We also used herbal cigarettes that were not tobacco.”
Mannette said about the success of the play, “Credits for success go to the playwright (Noel Coward) for writing a funny play, our Guest Director (Alison Bridget Chambers) for doing a nice job. The entire cast worked hard. Their hard work paid off.” Mannette continued thanking, “Jamison Rhoads (Tech Director and Designer), Christy Railsback (Costume Designer), and Wesley Williams (Stage Manager) for all their hard work.”
“I was pleased with the final result. Kudos to the entire production team for their dedication and hard work!”, Mannette concluded.
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