APRIL FELCHNER/Staff Photographer
HAYLEY LERCH & APRIL FELCHNER
Staff Writers
Students yearning to travel will soon have the opportunity to be swept away to a magical Scottish village without ever leaving campus. “Brigadoon,” presented by the Pepperdine University Fine Arts Division, promises to transport students to an eighteenth century locale, which comes to life for only one day every one hundred years. Despite the recent fire, the cast and crew have remained on track toward making this fictitious place a reality.
“You have this story that is unbelievable to us in modern day,” said director and choreographer Bill Szobody. “But I’m hoping that we can makethe audience believe that this really could happen … It’s not thinking with your head and instead thinking with your heart.”
The fairy tale involves two American travelers, Tommy Albright and Jeff Douglas, who discover Brigadoon while hiking through the Scottish highlands. Tommy, played by sophomore Ken Korpi, is enchanted by one of the village women named Fiona MacLaren, played by senior Christi Thompson. Though the modern travelers return to their native New York City, Tommy eventually yields to his love for Fiona and ventures back to the tranquil village of Brigadoon.
Pepperdine’s production includes a student cast of 37 and features the University Orchestra, conducted by Tony Cason. Alan Jay Lerner wrote the book and lyrics and Frederick Loewe wrote the score for the musical, which includes such pieces as “Waitin’ for my Dearie” and “Almost like Being in Love.”
“I’m mimicking the score, which is very magical and lush…that’s what we should see on stage,” said Szobody. This is Szobody’s first time directing Pepperdine’s fall musical. He aims to achieve not only romance, but also authenticity in the production.
The cast attended the Seaside Highland Games, a Scottish festival which was held in Ventura in early October, to become immersed in the culture. Each cast member was also assigned an individual and family name to give the performers a sense of belonging to a genuine sense of life in Scotland.
Other details include attention to the Scottish dialect, which has meant instruction by a coach named Laura McMillin. Another traditional element includes the music of the bagpipes, which are played throughout the production by Senior Steven Cornett, who also acts in the show.
While the cast has worked diligently to make their characters believable, the creative team has managed to make the village of Brigadoon come to life. Because Szobody initially planned extra rehearsals, operations were only slightly delayed by the fire.
“It takes a village to build this Scottish village,” Szobody said. “I think the real interesting story is all of this incredible talent and work behind the scenes that an audience does not see and is under appreciated by the common spectator.”
Technical director Rick Aglietti began designing the set last school year. According to Aglietti, the set involves many major painting projects in an effort to create a three-dimensional effect. “There are bits of realism, but also a lot of enchantment and fantasy mixed with it,” said Aglietti.
The creation of the fantastical set has continued despite a few setbacks caused by the recent fires. Crew members who were off campus were unable to help on Monday and Tuesday of last week, but other students, including senior Alex Fthenakis, offered their time. Fthenakis is working as a technical assistant on the show as part of his senior thesis project.
Sound designer Carrie Jones has also contributed her technical skills to help create the fictitious village. According to Jones, the show is very involved because it includes singers onstage, a pit orchestra, sound effects, and backstage singing. Jones did her fair share of research in recreating accurate sounds, including birdcalls typical of the Scottish highlands.
“Personal touches take it from a normal show to something as unique as this,” Jones said.
In addition to sound details, costume design is another essential element for achieving authenticity. Costume Designer Carol Ann Hack assigned a different plaid to each clan represented in the show so members of the same clan are visually identifiable. The costumes reflect those typically worn in the late eighteenth century in Scotland.
“This musical not only offers a journey into a completely different time and place, it offers a treat to the eye, ear, and soul,” said senior section leader Jillian Stout.
Pepperdine students will have the opportunity to journey to this charming place beginning Nov. 8 through Nov. 10 and Nov. 15 through Nov. 17 at 7:30 pm. There will be a matinee presentation on Sunday, Nov. 11th at 2 p.m.
11-01-2007
