The 2012 Edinburgh Festival Fringe proved to be a major success for the Pepperdine Theater department as its students performed two remarkable plays, receiving reviews, honorable mentions and a prestigious award.
The plays “Why Do You Stand There In the Rain” and “Anonymous” were both commissioned by Pepperdine Professor Cathy Thomas-Grant who has been directing the program since 2000. She, along with her co-director Alex Fthenkis, aim to immerse students in the Scottish culture and theater community throughout this eight week program. During the summer, students take master classes with some of Scotland’s leading stage directors and actors while preparing for their performances at the festival.
“Why Do You Stand There in the Rain” began in the mind of Scottish playwright Peter Arnott for 30 years before being written for this summer’s festival. The play takes place during the beginning of the Great Depression after World War I when veterans were denied their promised bonus payment. When this didn’t happen, 20,000 veterans, known as the “Bonus Army,” occupied WashingtonD.C.
While there have been documentaries and books created on the subject, this is the first time that a stage production has addressed this historic event. It is also the first time in Pepperdine’s history that a commissioned piece has been performed at the festival.
“Why Do You Stand There in the Rain” received a prestigious Fringe First award, which acknowledges new and unique work presented at the festival. Joyce McMillion, a theater critic and columnist in Scotland said the play was “a vivid, beautiful show, packed with timely insights into the human consequences of financial meltdown.” The British Theatre Guide called it “a truly fine production and a fascinating piece of new theatre, well worth its place in the best shows of this year’s Fringe Festival.”
Pepperdine’s other spectacular play, “Anonymous,” also turned heads at the festival, being considered for an Amnesty International Award, along with “Why Do You Stand There In the Rain.” Written by Naomi Iizuka and directed by Joe Obermueller (a Pepperdine alumnus), “Anonymous” is an adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey focusing on a young refugee who goes in search for his family throughout the United States.
Rick Marrs, Dean of Seaver College was an audience member at the Fringe Festival. After seeing both plays back-to-back, he said “the experience is one of the highlights of my career”.
In the pre-production stage, Professor Thomas-Grant emphasized the importance of building an ensemble of students who work well together. The cast for “Why Do You Stand There In the Rain?” included Courtney Buchan, Grace Edmundson, David Gow, Jordan Kimmel, George Kovalenko, Connor Lyons, Ryan Napier, Dino Nicandros, Kyle Rogan, Kevin A. Shipp, Remington Stanberry, Kelsey Sutton and Anna Tullis. The cast for “Anonymous” included Chloe Bennett, Chelsie Blackwell, Tyler Matthew Burk, Desiree Gillespie, Dino Nicandros, Missy Marion, Marina Moore, Ryan Napier, Jesse Perez, Cambria Square and Michael Thomas-Visgar.
After a long eight weeks, Professor Thomas-Grant commented that she is grateful for all the hard work the students put into these performances and considers them her colleagues because of what they created together.
The Edinburgh program occurs every other summer. If you are interested in the 2014 program, applications will be available Fall 2013.
