Theater department preps for spring productions

The USD theater department is hard at work preparing for its upcoming shows this spring semester.

Between February and May, the department will be putting on three shows: “The Pillowman,” “The Baltimore Waltz” and “Assassins.”

“The number of total hours put into a show by the full team of people, which includes actors, as well as directors, managers, designers, technicians and builders, is too many to really count,” said sophomore Lydia Kanz, a musical theater performance major. “The long hours on top of our class and work schedules make for the most difficult part of being involved in theater.”

Sophomore Katie Meirose, a theater major, plays the mother in “The Pillowman,” the first show of the spring semester. She said preparing for the show has been “a wonderful process.”

“This show has an unusually short rehearsal and preparation time for a main stage show, but we are making a lot of progress and everyone involved is working hard and giving tremendous amounts of effort,” Meirose said.

In addition to the actors and actresses who work tirelessly to memorize their lines, there’s also a lot of work going on behind the scenes, Kanz said. Set design, costume design and make up are just a few of the elements necessary for putting on a complete and polished production.

“Everything is collaborative work,” Kanz said.

Sophomore acting major Tess Jones is working on the costume production “The Pillowman” and said they’re constantly at work.

“The designers and technicians are pretty much constantly fixing and making modifications to the costumes as needed until dress rehearsals,” she said.

Though a tedious and constant job, it’s an enjoyable one, Jones said.

“Everyone who works in the costume shop is very funny and interesting, and it makes the job go faster,” she said.

The amount of energy put into each production is worth it, Kanz said.

“Everyone sort of goes on this journey together while watching or performing in a show. It’s that connection that makes it so pure and raw,” Kanz said. “The effect theater has on people is worth every struggle.”

Meirose believes this semester will be a successful one.

“It’s going to be a great and successful spring semester for the USD theater department,” she said.

“The Pillowman” will premiere Feb. 18 in the Wayne S. Knutson Theatre.