As some of you may have heard, AU Theatre Wing is hosting the play “You Can’t Take It With You” on February 24 and 25. In anticipation of the performance, I was able to sit down for an interview with Bianca Loss (junior, elementary education), who will play the role of Rheba. She was very excited to give us a little teaser, so let’s see what she has to say!
A: Give us a short rundown of the story (no spoilers, please!)
B: The play centers around the eccentric Sycamore family. Everyone only does what makes them truly happy, whether that’s hunting for snakes, playing music, printing, writing plays, dancing, making candy, or even building fireworks. The “normal” daughter meets and gets engaged to her boss’ son. Suddenly, the Sycamores have to prepare to pretend to be an average family for one dinner so the engagement can be a success. Except the Kirbys arrive a day early, and everything that can go wrong… well, it definitely does. It’s a heartwarming comedy that will make you laugh, but you will leave with a message: enjoy life! Not everything is about money or status, after all, you can’t take it with you.
A: How have you and the cast been preparing for the upcoming play?
B: We meet four times a week and practice for two hours each session. On Mondays and Fridays, we focus on memorizing our lines. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we get the opportunity to practice in Newbold, where the show will take place, so we work on blocking and staging scenes. Each member also practices their lines and blocking on their own time. Our production and executive teams work together to ensure sets, costumes, lights, and sound are prepared. Those two teams also work on advertising the play and making sure people know to come. It’s a lot of work, but definitely worth it!
A: What are you most excited about for the play?
B: So much! I’m really excited to see the audience’s reaction to the play. It’s truly hilarious, and I’m so excited to see people enjoy it and to see how they react to all the jokes and humor. It’s lovely to see the cast laugh and enjoy, but there is so much anticipation for how the audience reacts to different jokes or the different spins we’ve put on things. I’m really looking forward to that.
A: What should the audience most look forward to?
B: Get ready to laugh! Truly, this is a wonderful comedy, and trust me, you will laugh. I laugh every rehearsal, and I’ve been hearing the jokes for months. There’s nothing like a good comedy to make you smile and feel better. I think people should really be looking forward to that part.
A: What has been your favorite part of the process so far?
B: It’s so hard to choose… but I can narrow it down to two (is that cheating?) First, THE PEOPLE. We have such an amazing and talented cast and crew. The actors are fantastic and really giving it their all. Our production team is so dedicated and really putting in the work to make this show a success. Our executive team has been working since the summer for this show, and our sponsors have been so supportive. It truly is a team effort, and people have been contributing time, skills, resources, and more to this play. Also, they are just so much fun to be around, I always look forward to rehearsals. On a more personal note, I’ve really enjoyed getting to work on this play with my dad's support. My dad is a drama director for the high school he works at back at home, and he’s supported me through my entire theater journey. He suggested this play to me and has been helping me put it together. He actually produced this play many years ago when I was a kid. This is just another of a long line of full-circle moments AUTW has provided us (my first play here was “Pride and Prejudice,” and his first play at his school was also “Pride and Prejudice”). I’m really grateful for the opportunity to share this with someone I love, one of my biggest role models.
Save the date! “You Can’t Take It With You” will be performed on February 24 (8 p.m.) and 25 (2 p.m.) in the Newbold Auditorium. Looking forward to attending the wonderful performance by our talented AU actors!
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