Tickets are now on sale for OSU Department of Theatre’s first mainstage show of the season. American playwright A. R. Gurney’s “What I Did Last Summer” will run September 24 – 27 in the Vivia Locke Theatre in the Seretean Center for the Performing Arts.
“What I Did Last Summer” recounts the touching and comedic coming of age story of 14-year old Charlie, played by sophomore Cody Finger. Charlie struggles to cut his mother’s apron strings as his father is somewhere in the Pacific fighting the Japanese in the last year of WWII. Charlie’s mother, Grace, played by senior Mary Mackin, feels the challenge of raising two teenage children on her own while battling the loneliness and anxiety of a wife of a serviceman fighting overseas.
Tired of being a kid, Charlie desires the excitement of independence that having his own car symbolizes. He also hopes to win the affection of the attractive Bonnie, played by senior Gabby Bair, while vanquishing his rival Ted, played by senior Matt McCallum . Desperately needing money to fuel his ambitions, Charlie takes a job with the mixed-breed Native American Anna Turnbull, a social outcast, played by Stillwater actress Charissa Lee. To Grace’s horror, Anna takes on the role of Charlie’s mentor and spiritual guide, and stokes the flames of rebellion.
Many in the audience might find the subject matter and humorous relationships familiar, but Gurney adopts a unique approach to his somewhat autobiographical tale. The production begins as a memory play in which we are introduced to the characters later in life. They recall the events of the summer of 1945, which are set in an idyllic “summer colony” on the Canadian shore of Lake Erie, just an hour’s drive from Buffalo, NY. Director Peter Westerhoff and scenic designer Heidi Hoffer have created a dreamlike landscape that captures both the haze of memory and a wistful sense of possibility, with lawn furniture suspended in space and touches of expressionist foliage. Completing the environment is a lighting design by junior Hannah Mans that suggests the reflections of the lake’s surface and the dappling of thick summer shade trees, and the costume design by senior Amy Higdon that captures the era and the characters.
“We mounted a production of ‘What I Did’ several years ago and found that the story resonated with a number of people in our community,” Westerhoff says. “In central Oklahoma we have military families who understand deployment, and of course here at the University we have students breaking away from home for the first time. Gurney is a masterful writer who keeps us on the hook both with his humor and his insight.”
Head of Theatre Andrew Kimbrough applauds the team for their hard work and contributions. “Recall that the school year started mid-August, and we are already mounting our first show before the end of September. The actors were cast the first week and started rehearsing immediately; the design team had been working over the summer so that the build could be completed on time. As always, we have students in key positions, and we’re immensely proud of Amy and Hannah for the costume and lighting designs. Both have done inspired work for this show, and illustrate the excellent education students receive at OSU Theatre,” Kimbrough said.
Completing the cast is Jessica Smoot as Charlie’s sister Elsie, who has just started college but laments the fact that all the eligible bachelors have been called up for active duty. Junior Jake Niskanen is stage manager; technical director for the production is senior and Stillwater native Brittany Lee.
Tickets may be purchased on-line by visiting the department’s website at http://theatre.okstate.edu or by visiting the box office at 121 Seretean Center for the Performing Arts. General admission is $10, students and seniors $7. Performance dates and times are Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 24-26 at 7:30 pm; Sunday matinee Sept. 27 at 2:30 pm. Season tickets are also on sale—patrons see four shows for the price of three: $32 general admission, $20 students and seniors. Details and box office information are easily found on the website.