Students produced and performed "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike"
Students in Central Michigan University theatre's production of "Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" perform in a dress rehearsal.
Central Michigan University basketball player Chris Fowler had his theater debut last week in “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike."
The play took place from Oct. 8 - 18 in Moore Hall's Bush Theatre. Fowler, a Theater and Interpretation major, said his favorite part of the play was acting out a reverse-strip tease.
“It was the most fun to me. I got to dance," Fowler said. "I got to goof around.”
The play was about two middle-aged siblings, Vanya and Sonia, who lived together after caring for their elderly parents until they passed away. Their sister, Masha, paid for the house with her acting career. Masha decided to come visit her siblings and brought her latest man, Spike, home with her. The play was about Vanya, Sonia and Masha learning to understand and respect each other in a comical way.
Senior Allie Jackson played Masha. Jaskson somewhat relates to her character, especially when it comes to being insecure, she said.
“I don’t think in the mean aspect, I’d like to think I’m really nice. But Masha is (mean), I think she has moments where she’s insecure and I think that’s why she’s so mean to everyone," Jackson said. "So I think I relate to feeling insecure or inadequate sometimes.”
The play was originally produced on Broadway by McCarter Theatre Center, Princeton. N.J. Directed by Keeley Stanley-Bohn, CMU was able to put its own personal flare on the play. The production was student-run with props, costumes, make-up, music, and a student designed play poster.
“I do my best to find parallels between things that happen in my life and things that are going on in (Vanya’s) life,” said senior Richard Bronson.
Bronson said he would love to be a professional actor, but ultimately has goals of teaching theater at the university level.
In terms of balancing basketball with theater, Fowler said this play fell at the right time to make it possible for him to be involved with it.
Fowler said he couldn't make the decision yet to be in another theater performance.
“I have to wait to see how the (basketball) season plays out and hopefully we go far in that. If something else works with the schedule I would be happy to audition and go through the process all over again.”
