The Burman University Drama Society put on the production of “The Miracle Worker” on March 3rd and 4th, doing a splendid job with their acting skills and with their props and staging. The play was witty with many moments where the audience laughed and teared up. I sat down with some of the cast members to get a closer look of this grand production. Inspired by Austin Deibert, I took a moment to "Keep up with the Kellers."
What was the most difficult part of the production itself?
Marina Tatarnikova: The biggest thing is the huge time commitment. We have been going at this since September: 5 hours on Sundays from 12 PM to 5 PM nonstop. Then before that, I would meet up with the other cast members from like 9 AM till 12 PM to run lines just so we can learn it. It’s definitely a big time commitment and a huge tiring point was this week because I basically lived in this theatre for a week.
What characteristic was the hardest to portray for you?
Austin Deibert: This is gonna make me sound really bad but it was really easy to give sass because I give my dad sass all the time. It’s hilarious. Julie she told me that I was perfect for this role and I was like, "Okay, great", but probably the hardest thing. . . this is gonna sound so stupid but you know the part where I sing Buffalo girl? It took me forever to figure out how to do that and I was like too embarrassed to actually sing and look at her.
Who were your directors and how do you think they did portraying this story?
Lashae Hall: Julie and Lucinda were my directors and I really appreciate Julie because as you know there is a lot of controversy in casting colored students as like maids and servants and stuff. But she actually sat me down before auditions and she spoke to me about my comfort level as being casted as a servant or maid. I think that is really commendable because not a lot of people want to have that conversation. They just assume that you’re okay with it, but she actually sat me down way before she casted me and asked me what my level of comforts were with this part.
What brought on this level of dedication?
Jacob Link: I didn’t realize...to be honest, that it was going to be that tedious in the beginning. But my thing is, I feel like I wanted to be part of something on campus. I was on the Acros team [last year], but this year I missed the chance [to join that team]. I still wanted to be involved and to have something that I could be a part of and that would grow me personally, so that’s kinda what helped me through the tedious parts.
How did you relate to your character in the play?
Deicy Alcudia: I guess I related to her in the sense that she is very oppressed by her husband in [a] time women weren’t allowed to really speak their mind. Sometimes, even though we are in modern times, women are still not allowed to declare what they are feeling without being judged, without being looked down on. I think Kate has a lot of stress and a lot of weight on her shoulders because of her little daughter Helen and I’m not a parent, but I can relate because I have a lot of family issues weighing down on my shoulders.
How difficult was it to act as someone with no lines?
Arabel Froese: It was the hardest thing you can imagine because you have to learn the blocking (meaning where you have to be at a certain time).
What would you like the public to know about the drama society?
Julie Thompson: That it’s a group that works really hard to bring positive messages or messages for you to think about to the campus and to the community. And we really want to reach the community of Lacombe. We want people to enjoy and be able to be swept up in classic literature or classic stories or bioptics or whatever play that we’re putting on and just really enjoy that and to come out and support these students that worked so hard and put so many hours in and love doing it...We have a pretty special group here and it would be really nice if more people know we exist.
Interview by: Jasmine Pickett, First-year English major