Student playwright’s production of ‘The Three Musketeers’ to premiere Thursday in Kiva

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Although the play he authored, choreographed and is acting in will premiere on Thursday, Chris Krause’s work is far from over.

Krause, a Sanford senior, said he spent about two years writing a script for “The Three Musketeers.” It will be performed starting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday in Moore Hall’s Townsend Kiva. A talk-back session with the audience will be held after Sunday’s show to help feed Krause ideas for script revision.

“I really hope people come to the show and give me feedback, because I really want to improve the script,” Krause said.

Krause adapted his version of the play from the novel “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas. He choreographed all the fights for the production and is playing the role of D’Artagnan.

“I love stage combat and I love the story,” he said. “I’m really excited for this.”

The production has had to do with minimal props and costumes. Krause said the cast of 24 members had to find their own costumes and props and that some of their costumes were borrowed from Midland High School.

“It’s kind of a minimalistic show — we have to do with what we have,” he said.

Krause said there has been a relatively short rehearsal period, but the cast has come a long way nevertheless.

Although the play is a student production Keeley Stanley-Bohn, associate professor of communication and dramatic arts, is serving as the director. Like Krause, she said she loves fight choreography and it was one of the drives to join the play’s production.

Stanley-Bohn said she has known Krause for a long time and another reason she took the position as director is because she knows Krause’s dedication to his work and his projects.

She is also acting in the play, playing Milady de Winter.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever directed and acted in a play at the same time,” she said. “It’s exciting, but it’s challenging and exhausting.”

She said this is the first time there has been a student production in the Kiva.

“As a student play, it’s unusual for a faculty member to direct it because of the extensive work with reading and rewriting and putting it on its feet — but we should do more of it,” she said.

Utica junior Aaron Pickett, the stage manager, said it is valuable to students to work together with faculty to produce the play.

“It’s been very educational to see what the faculty has to offer,” he said. “This is the second or third production I’ve seen written by a CMU student, but never to this degree. It’s the first in Kiva, and the first in terms of cast size and complexity of show.”