Madison Long
Life Editor
“I have so much free time, I don’t know what to do,” exclaimed no-college student ever.
“Anyone who wears a tiara and sequins is always going to be a winner,” is what we should say.
And a crowd favorite from Idaho State’s Production of “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” “He craves attention slightly, but all good actors do,” is probably what the ISU theatre department preaches.
The Black Box Theatre on October 3-4, and 9-11, held Sara Hymes’ direction of Christopher Durang’s Russian play. With a small six-person cast, main leads Nyx Gladu (Vanya), Leoni Gambee (Sonia), Rylie Price (Masha), Brandon Moeness (Spike), Addi Steele (Nina), and Mireya Soto (Cassandra) brought to life the sitcom-esque narration of three middle-aged, Chekov-named siblings who are forced to combat themes of aging and existential angst.
When their movie star sibling Masha returns home to sell their parents’ home with her twenty-something boyfriend (Spike), Sonia and Vanya must convince her otherwise or find a way to explore beyond their comfortable walls. Along the way, their housekeeper, Cassandra, named after the Greek mythical Trojan priestess, finds ways to help the two siblings, crafting a voodoo doll of Masha and warning them of evil forces. And as Spike wanders around the Pennsylvania property, he meets Nina, a young girl with acting aspirations and a kind heart, who reminds the siblings to take their time and enjoy life.
To key out each actor’s vision for their character, Director Hymes took a collaborative approach, adjusting and building the homey set together. She even requested that each actor put together a slideshow of images that either abstractly or succinctly represented their characters.
“It helped us put those puzzle pieces together more specifically and efficiently,” explained Hymes, who is an ISU guest professor from New York. “They brought everything from pictures of pop culture references like celebrities, TV shows, or movies that they felt their character resonated with.
With a smaller cast, the crew of “Vayna and…” was also able to flesh out different parts and pieces to the characters even further.
Whether through Masha’s bright red hues and shiny accessories, Vanya dressed like he hadn’t been shopping in about 15 years, Sonia’s palette inspired by a rooster (a bit more spunky than her comments in the show about being a “wild turkey”), or Spike’s ripped skinny jeans and sneakers, Tara Young, the costume designer, emphasized color and the overall “zaniness” of the show. She even recommended that Moeness shave his body for the role, hoping to make him more comfortable for his reverse striptease during Act 1.
For some of the actors, like Gimbee, the show ended on a slightly emotional note.
“This might sound silly to someone who’s not an actor,” says Gimbee, a Senior majoring in Theatre. “Every character I tend to connect with really deeply, after the show, I say goodbye to the character and have a short conversation with them in the mirror, just thanking them for the experience. I’m really glad I did that with Sonia because I was able to let go in a healthy way, especially because I related to her so much.”
And while this show may have been the last for some, like Moeness, others will continue to pop up throughout the year at ISU productions. Gladu, who took a few years off from performing, will be busy with projects. He will be in the November iteration of “A Christmas Carol” as the Master of Ceremonies and as a dialect coach for various English accents, among other roles. Price hopes to stage manage “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” coming next February, and perform in “Emme and the Taking of the Woods” – a play written by ISU professor Jack Peterson – this April. And as for Gimbee, she will be costume designing for “The Marvelous Wonderettes” and co-directing the Alpha Psi Omega (Idaho State University’s Honors Theatre Fraternity) production, tentatively scheduled for January.
While Hymes debated whether to add a political commentary to the piece, which plays into the contemporary side of Durang’s play, she explained that the students involved gave her a different perspective, hoping to bring some simple joy to the theatre for all who watch.
“I had a couple people who told me, ‘I’m not a theatre person. I often find plays very boring, or cringy, or hard to get through.’ But then they told me they really thoroughly enjoyed it and that it was fun to watch,” says Gladu, a second-year, but first-year theatre student. “I take that as the highest form of compliment that we were able to capture even the attention of some very tough critics. I think it was a fun, happy play, and I think people enjoyed it.”
