The spring mainstage production this year is Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa, a production Dr. Corinne Johnson has had her eye on directing for a while. The production is rich with Irish dialect, 1930s Irish history, and a bit of Irish dancing.
Dancing at Lughnasa is a memory play told from the view of Michael Evans, the narrator. The story is his memory of a summer in the fictional town of Ballybeg near County Donegal, Ireland. At the time, he lived in his aunt's cottage and was seven years old.
Patrick O'Leary, an Ireland native and SAU Management professor, is the dialect coach working with actors individually to perfect their speech. His extensive knowledge of and experience in Ireland makes him a great fit for the job. First-year Quinnie Rodman recounted her session with O'Leary as being surprisingly laid-back.
"It was very fun! Going in, I thought it was going to be scary, but he just asked me to have a conversation with him about my life in an Irish accent. It was a lot less scary than I thought it was going to be," Rodman said.
Although County Donegal is in Northern Ireland where the accents are heavy, director Corinne Johnson and O'Leary agreed to dial it back. Every character in the show has an Irish accent, except for Gerry who is Welsh. The actors have been working hard on their accents, and so far, it's clear that the Department has many talented, hard-working students.
Dancing at Lughnasa wouldn't make much sense without dancing, right? Not to fear, this play is packed with charming Irish dance moves choreographed by 2009 alum Stephanie DeLacy. The importance of dance comes from the Irish tradition of dancing at the Lughnasa festival, road dances ,and house dances.
The typical style of Irish dance involves a lot of group dancing while everyone holds hands in a circle. These types of dances were common in the 1930s at the Lughnasa Festival, which is a harvest festival held every year around Aug. 1. Dancing was a good way for communities to come together and often a tactic used for matchmaking. O'Leary even shared a story with the cast about his parents meeting during a road dance in Ireland.
Senior Melissa "Mel" Maylum is the dramaturg for Dancing at Lughnasa and has had the opportunity to extensively research the history of Irish dancing. Since this is Maylum's first try at dramaturgy, she had little background knowledge coming in. Yet she said she was excited for the opportunity to learn new things.
"My favorite thing I've learned so far is that house dances were often used as a cover-up to hide secret military meetings. The dances were used as an excuse to explain why so many people were inside one house," Maylum said.
The history of Irish dance will be seen extensively throughout Dancing at Lughnasa.
"In the show, Michael remembers his aunts dancing and how it brought them together. Irish dance doesn't have to be perfect, and it's not meant to be pretty. The Irish will dance and sing no matter their skill-set, and it just shows how much dancing and music brings people together," Maylum said.
Choreographer DeLacy has provided the actors with steps that enhance the charm of the production. She worked with them for only a few rehearsals and said they all were getting the steps down well. Sophomore K Hampton said she has been having a great time learning the dances from DeLacy.
"I have loved every minute of our rehearsal time with Stephanie because she is fun and energetic. I have enjoyed working with her," Hampton said.
Hampton has been in shows before where she had to learn some complicated choreography, but she said learning these dances has been different and brought a good cast dynamic.
"It's a lot of quick steps, but it feels like there's a good connection between the sisters when we dance because we are having a great time. The dancing isn't stressful because we get to put our spin on the moves because it doesn't have to be perfect," Hampton said.
The extraordinary cast of Dancing at Lughnasa includes seniors Jeremy Mahr as Michael Evans, Sarah Goodall as Kate Mundy, and T.J. Green as Father Jack. Juniors Ellie Larson and Anthony Duckett star as Chris Mundy and Gerry Evans, respectively. Sophomores K Hampton and Nyssa Wagner are sisters Agnes and Rose Mundy, and first-year Quinnie Rodman tops off the cast as Maggie Mundy.
Dancing at Lughnasa has something for everyone. It's a friendly play with an abundance of fun Irish culture. Don't miss this spectacular cast and crew! Come enjoy the show on April 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. and April 19 at 3 p.m. in Allaert Auditorium. Tickets are available online or at the Galvin box office.
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