OCU Stripped, a student-run music theater group, will present its first production of the year this week.
The Spitfire Grill will perform at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday in Petree Recital Hall in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center. Admission is free.
The Spitfire Grill, based on the 1996 movie of the same name, follows the story of “Percy,” a woman who moves to Gilead, Wisconsin, after being released from prison. Percy starts working at a grill and gives the town new hope.
Stripped shows are produced with minimal sets and costumes provided by students. The Spitfire Grill differs from past productions because of the amount of props, said Rachel Weisbart, music theater senior and the show’s director.
“I would venture to guess that we’re setting a Stripped record for the amount of props in this show,” Weisbart said. “It’s supposed to be a stripped show, but I didn’t want to sacrifice the integrity of the show.”
Weisbart said Megan Carpenter, music theater senior and artistic director of Stripped, introduced her to the show. Weisbart said she was drawn to it because it isn’t well-known, the cast is small and the score is grounded in folk music.
“I love folk musicals. I heard it, and I immediately had a vision for it in my head,” Weisbart said. “There’s probably going to be a lot of things that people haven’t seen Stripped do before, so I think that will be exciting.”
Weisbart said the cast is multitalented, and the audience can expect a few musical surprises.
Max Elkiss, music theater graduate, plays “Caleb” in the show. It will be his first performance at OCU.
“I was pleasantly surprised that getting together a group of students, completely student-run, could be so professional,” Elkiss said. “Everybody has high expectations for each other. It’s been very supporting and efficient. I’ve loved every minute of it so far.”
Gabrielle Browdy, music theater junior, plays “Percy” and was in the Stripped production of Seussical: The Musical last fall. She said this experience is different because of the subject matter.
“The material this semester is extremely heavy, which has created a safe bond and environment with the cast and artistic team,” she said. “It is very, very special.”
Weisbart formerly directed The Vagina Monologues for Out of the Box, a student-run organization that produces plays, in Spring 2017. She said directing a musical, though more challenging, is rewarding because of the teamwork.
“There’s a lot more collaboration, which I love,” Weisbart said. “I love working with other people, and I find that so much of the time we’ve been so in-sync with our ideas.”
Audiences should get a positive message from the show, Weisbart said.
“It’s that hope is never really gone,” she said. “We just have to know where to look for it. And oftentimes, that is within the people around us and within ourselves.”
Elkiss said the message is relevant to today’s social climate.
“We live in a time where a lot of people are down, very lost, very confused, angry, sad, all these different ideas and negative thoughts, and I think if people focused on the positive and the hopeful side of things, then things will get better,” he said. “And not only that, but also acting on it. I think that’ll make a big difference.”
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