Rehearsal Insights from students Travis and Samantha

We chatted with two cast members from the upcoming Theatre Arts Program production of Blood Wedding to discuss rehearsals thus far, Travis Williams who is playing the role of the BOY and Samantha A. Seawolf, who is playing the role of GIRL.

Director James Slowiak incorporates many acting exercises with the cast, can you describe one of the exercises and how it is helping you with your character?

Travis - “One of the best exercises for me is the opposition exercise. Jim asks us to do simple actions like push, pull, and throw but to always work as if something is holding us back. I find this exercise particularly helpful because I'm naturally a very bouncy and light-footed sort of person and it helps me find a better dynamic for my character”.

Samantha - “One of my favorite exercises is called "contact improvisation". It is also the most challenging that I have ever done. It is usually between two actors. We equally distribute the weight of our bodies between us, taking the weight of the other and giving all of ours in return. Once that goal is accomplished, we move and pivot, constantly connecting. It is amazing how, if done right, a smaller woman can easily pick up a man on her shoulders and swing him around, in a sort of swing-dance way. It’s hard to put into words, but once experienced is equally difficult to forget. It’s a wonderful and enlightening exercise that really helps me to connect and trust the others I am working with.”

As the playing space is narrow, with audience on both sides of the stage, what is it like playing in such a confined set or do you not find it confining?

Travis – “I don't really think of the set as confining, but rather as a place to let the imagination run wild! Because the set is so simple, it's very easy to turn it into whatever sort of space you need for a scene, which I love and I hope the audience will love too.”

Samantha – “At first I found the set to be a little daunting. There are all these obstacles that could potentially "get in the way". However, I have found that so far they also give more opportunities to play and explore. For example, there is a scene we were working on where Rosilyn [Servant/Death] was suppose to turn away from me quickly and move onto a different part of the stage. When she did, she realized she was right on the edge of the "well" of water and had to keep herself from falling into it. It took a somewhat mundane action and turned it into a very comedic moment that made us all laugh. I hope it can somehow stay in the final product.”

What do you hope the audience takes away from the play?

Travis - “I hope the audience sees a bit of themselves in the characters of the story. I always hope that the audiences of plays are able to find at least one character to identify with and take something away from that character's journey, whatever that thing may be.”

Samantha - “If there is anything I hope the audience can take away from Blood Wedding, it’s to not be afraid to follow our passions, despite the pressures of the societal norms we live with. There is so much life within each of us, and so many times we limit ourselves and our experience here on earth because we are afraid to break out of what we have been told is the right way to do things. I especially would like women to feel empowered when they leave the show. The work I'm doing in "Blood Wedding" is somewhat becoming a love letter to the women in my life who have sacrificed for those they care about. I would hope that any woman (or man) who sees it might take a moment to reflect on themselves and the passions of their souls that make them so unique. I don't care if it inspires them to fly to Bali for a weekend or decide to try a new toothpaste. Whatever it is I hope they can remember how much there is to experience, and how much they have to give.”