Something new is afoot at Sweet Briar College this summer.
On stage in the normally darkened Murchison Lane Auditorium a play is taking shape. It’s an original work that follows fictional characters from the terrible early hours of Aug. 20, 1969 to the present. “The Bluest Water: A Hurricane Camille Story” explores how people move on from truly devastating life events.
The play, co-created by director Geoffrey Kershner and playwright
Jason Chimonides, is inspired by the real storm’s enduring impact on the Central Virginia community.
Actors Natalie Caruncho and Michael Stablein play the leads in William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." Photo by Maria Hayden.Meanwhile, on the lawn in front of Benedict Hall, young actors have been practicing lines in the steamy late-afternoon haze. The 1906 building, with its arched breezeway supporting a classical balcony and imposing columns, is a natural setting for an outdoor production of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”
All the activity is preparation for the inaugural Blue Ridge Summer Theatre Festival, which will be presented July 9-27 by Endstation Theatre Co., with support from Sweet Briar.
Kershner, Endstation’s founder and artistic director, grew up in Amherst County near Sweet Briar, where his father, Bill Kershner, is the longtime director of the College’s theater department. Geoff studied acting at the University of the Arts and earned his MFA in directing from Florida State University.
He taught, acted and directed for several years, then came home in 2006 to establish Endstation as a non-profit theater company in residence at Sweet Briar. Part of Geoff Kershner’s vision is theater showing a mix of classical works and original productions with a bias toward stories of local interest.
The idea for “The Bluest Water” came easily. “Growing up here in the area there’s always sort of an echo of it,” he said of Hurricane Camille. “It’s a reference point for a lot of local [people].”
In neighboring Nelson County, more than 25 inches of rain fell in a few hours that August morning, washing away entire mountainsides, homes and roads. At least 150 people died, many of whom were never found.
He and Chimonides have spent two years researching, talking to people and writing. They consulted with men like Ed Tinsley, a state trooper who helped in the rescue effort, or with their family members. One cast member, Wanda Bond, has personal recollections of Camille that are now part of the script.
Actors Natalie Caruncho and Michael Stablein, best friends who just graduated from FSU’s highly regarded acting program, are reveling in the opportunity “The Bluest Water” presents. Researching their roles based on real people and real events has been “mind-blowing,” they agreed, but equally compelling is Kershner’s vision for Endstation and the Blue Ridge Summer Theatre Festival.
The company strives for intimate staging where viewers are close to the action, and on creating theater for local audiences. “That’s important to us,” Stablein said.
Stablein and Caruncho, who have been staying at Sweet Briar since late May, had another reason to spend the summer on the rural campus – playing Romeo and Juliet.
“If anybody had asked me a week before I graduated what’s a role you’d want to play I’d say Juliet,” Caruncho said.
Even better, it’s outside.
“Oh, what a beautiful evening,” she said, speaking of the setting on the lawn in front of Benedict and the idea of Shakespeare under the stars. “I wish I could sit in the grass and watch it. I’m so excited it’s giving me chills.”
Bill Kershner, who is directing the play, will grant her wish. Because there is no backstage for actors to retreat to between scenes, he has them sitting on blankets like the audience. The Montagues will be off to one side and the Capulets to the other.
He’s also keeping the set simple, using a single bench for numerous scenes. “I really want it to be the actors in front of that building, and Shakespeare works well that way, because Shakespeare didn’t have much,” he said, noting that costume was the Bard’s primary spectacle element.
To create a relationship between the production and the place, Bill Kershner set the play at the time of Sweet Briar’s founding, around 1901. The feud between the Montagues – portrayed as Northern carpetbaggers – and the Southern Capulet clan is driven by lingering tensions over the Civil War.
Lighting for the drama is designed by nature. It’s timed for the first three acts to occur in daylight. Dusk will fall during the fourth, and the fifth – the dark tomb scene – will be illuminated by actors carrying torches.
Despite the challenges of a non-conventional theater space, Kershner is delighting in his work. Because it’s summertime, he’s enjoying a luxury he never has during the academic year – a much expanded pool of talented actors. They include Stablein and Caruncho, professors and students from nearby and far-off colleges, high school students, local actors and some of his own students who are returning for the festival.
He’s also delighting in the work because of the outdoor setting.
“Last night we were rehearsing on this beautiful, gorgeous night and when Juliet says, ‘Swear not by the inconstant moon,’ all of sudden you look up and there’s the moon,” he said. “It was really just a neat moment.”
Dates for “Romeo and Juliet” are July 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24 and 26. Seating is on the grass in front of Benedict. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets or chairs and a picnic dinner to enjoy during the 7 p.m. shows.
If it rains, cast and guests can wait inside Benedict. If it continues for more than 30 minutes, rain checks will be given for the following Sunday evening.
“The Bluest Water” will be performed at 7 p.m. July 9, 11, 16, 18, 23 and 25, and 2 p.m. July 13, 20 and 27 in the auditorium.
All tickets are $10; call (434) 381-6537 for reservations.
For more information, please visit Endstation’s
Web site or check out the festival’s daily
blog for talent profiles and a behind-the-scenes look at producing the shows.
— By
Jennifer McManamay,
SBC staff writer
