THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 13, 1994 TAG: 9411110309
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HOLLY WESTER, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 108 lines
WHEN OCEAN LAKES High School presents its first play this week, there will not be any room for nerves, tension or anxiety. The director, theater teacher Rob O'Leary, has made sure of that.
With a complete set, a handful of actors and about 150 audience members on stage, there really won't be much space for anything else when the school presents ``Dirty Work at the Crossroads,'' a play by Bill Johnson.
Although it's not part of the script, O'Leary has a number of reasons for including the audience on stage. Since the school is new, everyone has had to be creative.
Scenery was one reason to bring the audience closer. If the audience members were 20 feet away, the scenery would have to be much more elaborate than if they were only a few feet from the action.
``It's a new program, so we don't have a lot of stock scenery,'' said O'Leary, who is in his first year of teaching. ``We had to start from scratch.'' Since early October, when rehearsals began, O'Leary has been teaching the cast and crew all the basics behind set building.
Besides the lack of stock scenery, and the little time there has been to build it, most of the actors don't have any acting experience. ``They're not used to projecting,'' O'Leary said. ``The majority of them have never been in a play.''
One of those students is senior Phillip Hall, who is playing Munro Murgatroyd, one of the two leading roles. ``I've always wanted to be an actor, but it took me a while to build up my confidence,'' Phillip said. ``I am so very nervous, but with confidence and hard work, I can get it done.''
And some of those who have the experience are having to learn to project. Because of the mixing of schools, students are coming from different directors with different styles. Some are not accustomed to speaking loudly.
With the audience right in front of the actors, both novice and experienced, projection is not as much of a factor as it would be in front of a crowd of 850, the auditorium's capacity.
The closeness of the crowd to the action is another reason O'Leary chose to have it all on stage. ``It's very intimate,'' he said. ``The audience is right there . . . with the actors breathing down their necks.''
Intimacy is important in this particular play because of its style. Set in Pungo during the 1860s, an area O'Leary picked to bring it closer to home, ``Dirty Work'' is a highly emotional melodrama that requires a great deal of audience participation.
``It's just a fun play,'' he added.
Since O'Leary performed in ``Dirty Work'' during his senior year at Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, he knew what kind of energy was required from the cast and figured it would be the ideal premiere play.
``You have to get new students excited about a play,'' he said. ``You have to start them off running. The play has intrigue, romance, murder. It fits the picture just right.''
The first year stigma didn't interfere with finding students who were interested in theater. O'Leary found that out early, when he held a meeting for the Ocean Lakes Theatre Company and more than 50 students showed up.
``Finding interested kids was no problem,'' he said. ``But giving 10 roles to 50 kids is a different story.''
Since one of O'Leary's philosophies is ``If someone wants to work, find them a job,'' everyone who auditioned had the opportunity to be a part of the production. He has even created extra parts.
``I'm trying to get as many people involved as I can,'' O'Leary said.
The students are working hard, spending three hours a day, Monday through Friday, rehearsing and putting the finishing touches on the set and costumes. ``They're all doing their different jobs at once,'' O'Leary said. ``It's neat how they're working together as a team.''
Giving the students jobs to do is only one part of O'Leary's goal. ``It's their play, their school and their show,'' he said. ``Therefore, it's their work to do.''
But giving them every opportunity possible, while encouraging them to have fun, is something he has strived for since the beginning.
``I think high school theater can be just as good as any theater,'' O'Leary said. ``There's no reason in the world these kids can't do it.
``It's time to break the tradition and make things better. These kids shouldn't settle for anything less than the best.''
This approach is something O'Leary picked up from theater teacher Ed Jacob, during his high school days at Great Bridge. ``It was professional theater,'' he said. ``I had such a good time.''
But being able to pass his experience on has been the best time of all. ``I've had this vision of where I wanted to go and what I wanted to share with my students for a long time,'' O'Leary said. ``Here, I'm living out this vision and it's great. This is what it's all about.'' MEMO: The cast includes Matt Blanchard as Adam Oakhart, Alyssa Martindale
as Nellie Lovelace, Phillip Hall as Munro Murgatroyd, Kitty Haley as Ida
Rhinegold, Jason Bullen as Mookie Maguggins, Lauren Rodgers as Widow
Lovelace, Cathy Saari as Mrs. Upson Asterbilt, Amanda Tarr as Leonie
Asterbilt, Meta LaFollette as Fluerette, Michelle Rouse as Little Nell,
Nathalie Romillo as Knuckles, Dan Hibbert as the Mac, Tyrell Hamblin as
Mike.
WHEN & WHERE
``Dirty Work at the Crossroads'' by Bill Johnson at Ocean Lakes High
School auditorium, 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets are $3 in advance or $4 at the door. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by MORT FRYMAN
Since early October, when rehearsals began at Ocean Lakes, theater
teacher Rob O'Leary (below right) has been teaching the cast and
crew all the basics behind set building.
Kitty Haley, a junior who plays Ida, and Phillip Hall, a senior who
plays Munro, are among the stars of ``Dirty Work at the
Crossroads.''
by CNB