For the past three weeks, IU Theater performers Ashley Dillard and Mia Siffin have juggled the scripts for two three-hour productions — theatrical adaptations of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” and William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Some days the rehearsals run from noon to 9:30 p.m., while others last from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. With hundreds of memorized lines and movements swirling around in her mind, Dillard has a secret that keeps her from becoming overwhelmed.
“I only focus on what’s in front of me at that time,” Dillard said. “Trying to get your mind set into the specific show that you’re in rehearsal for and letting go of the other one can be difficult, but it’s also really fun, exhilarating and challenging.”
IU Summer Theater will continue its season with nine performances of both of these productions at the Wells-Metz Theater this month. The 15-member cast is the same for both, which alternate performances daily.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will premiere at 7:30 p.m. July 8. “Sense and Sensibility” starts at 7:30 p.m. July 9.
Austen published “Sense and Sensibility” in 1811 and Shakespeare penned “A Midsummers’ Night Dream” just more than four centuries ago, but Dillard said the universal themes in the works preserve their timelessness.
“At the end of the day, every single one of the characters in both shows are trying to find love and happiness,” Dillard said. “That’s something that I think is so incredibly relatable, and why I think these stories continue to be important and get done over and over again.”
Dillard and Siffin extensively researched their characters and adjusted their performances accordingly.
She’s only on the stage as Sophia Grey for a minute, but Siffin knows it’s one of the most important minutes in the play. Dillard doesn’t know how to play the piano but knows she needs to make it look like she does to truthfully portray Marianne Dashwood.
Making it look convincing isn’t easy at the Wells-Metz, though. Dale McFadden, director of the theater’s “Sense and Sensibility” production, explained the theater’s round architecture only makes it more demanding for both the actors and director.
“The great challenge within the round is that the actors spend much more time moving toward and away from the audience so they can be seen at all times,” McFadden said.
Siffin also stressed it creates a more personal, intimate experience for the audience because it is positioned in a square around all four sides of the stage. This is different from the seating in a proscenium — or “picture frame” — stage, which creates more of a window to the performance than an immersive experience.
“In the proscenium, the audience is very removed,” Siffin said. “But in the Wells-Metz, we’re going to have people on every side of us. It’s kind of impossible to not acknowledge the audience and realize that there will be people right in our faces while we’re acting.”
McFadden joked almost everyone is welcome to be one of those faces.
“If you’re interested in involving humorous costume-dramas that say things about love and success today, then come and see us,” McFadden said. “If you have all the answers — stay home.”
