Written by Lina Assad
Photos by Bill Tsai
“The Man Who Came to Dinner” is a student-led play about a hot-tempered radio host named Sheridan Whiteside. The play is a situational comedy and takes place in the 1930s, differing this May Play from previous productions that generally feature modern stories. The play begins with Whiteside injuring his hip on his way to visit the house of the Stanleys. The family lets him recuperate at their residence; though they are blissfully unaware that their whole lives will be turned upside down. Although Mr. Whiteside quickly realizes he is not actually injured, he continues to feign illness and remains wheelchair-bound the whole show. Whiteside’s primary goal for remaining in the Stanley household is to disrupt the budding romance between his secretary, Maggie, and her new love, Burt.
Since students completely directed the production, the atmosphere was more relaxed and the members seemed comfortable with the directors. Marshall Gantt, one of the two assistant directors of the play, commented, “My experience acting in plays allows me to empathize with the actors,” a connection unique to student directors. However, being a student director comes with its challenges. Lilah Brennan, the other assistant director, shared that it was very difficult to advocate for rehearsal space. Similarly, Marshall also pointed out the struggle of being flexible with everybody’s busy schedules for rehearsals. The directors learned the importance of time management and being authoritative while still “being well-spirited and setting good intentions for the cast,” Marshall mentioned.
Extensive research into the era and celebrities at the time went into their play preparation. They truly wanted to “understand what the person did so we knew why they are being mentioned,” says Lilah. Additionally, the directors ensured that the play stayed true to the era through their use of real costumes that were from the period of the play. Marshall explained that in crafting the play, the directors took inspiration from different versions of the show and added their own personal twists to them in order to present a unique show that still adheres to the original version.
Sully Sullivan, the student who acted as Mr. Whiteside, described his role as being difficult to represent since the character is so vastly different from his own personality. Mr. Whiteside is described as a rude individual who is easily angered. “Acting mean,” Sully remarked, “is the most challenging part of playing my character because I am not a mean person in real life; it’s not how I usually act.” With over 300 lines to memorize, getting on stage and performing in front of an audience is no easy feat while stress levels are at an all-time high. Consequently, it is inevitable that the actors will make mistakes while performing. Sully recalled forgetting a line and needing to improvise, “I came up with a logical response of what my character would have said.” His advice to aspiring leads is to work diligently towards their goals, embrace criticism without letting it discourage them, and maintain authenticity.
Lilah Brennan, who is also the lead female actor, described her character as being cynical and businesslike. Thus, the challenge she faced in portraying her character was representing her conflicting desires of wanting to work for Mr. Whiteside but also wanting to get married, all while balancing the formality of 1930s speech. Lilah wanted the audience to feel sympathy for her character, Maggie, and understand her complex emotions. “I wanted to make her feel realistic,” she explains, “I don’t want the emotions to be forced.” She finds the most challenging part about being a lead is the pressure from herself, “I worked really hard to get this role but there were a ton of people who were equally talented.” Therefore, Lilah’s advice is, “If you got a lead role, don’t doubt your ability because the director chose you for a reason.”
After viewing the play, I can confidently say that it was the best production I have ever seen. The cast was so personable and kind; I could feel their passion and love for acting through interviewing them. The actors did an amazing job portraying the complexity of their characters and fully embodying their roles. Through this production, the students were not only able to bring a classic comedy to life but were also able to create lasting memories and learn valuable lessons about leadership and teamwork.
On the left is Sully Sullivan who played Mr. Whitside (lead role), next to him is Marshall Gantt who played a character named Banjo (assistant director), next to him is Lilah Brennan who played Maggie (female lead role), and next to her is me!
The next photo is with all three directors. The one on the right is Tyge Thomas, who is the director of the play. Marshall and Lilah are assistant directors. These two photos can be found near the end of the pictures folder! Also, my sister is on the right of the last pic, I just realized it was her! 😂
