Lee Theatre kicks off season with "Beware of the Licorice Vines"
It’s show time for the Lee Theatre program as they prepare for their upcoming run of “Beware of the Licorice Vines.” The show will open this weekend in the Buzz Oates Theatre in the Communication Arts Building.
According to the show’s cast, “Beware of the Licorice Vines” focuses on the process of grieving and how to live after life takes an unexpected path.
“The main character is Hudson, and he has just lost his wife and he’s dealing with the grief and learning to process it,” said Minnie Brock, a sophomore theatre major.
“It’s the story of really learning to value life and the little moments in life and not to get so hung up on…the past and grieving, but also living in the moment and looking forward to the small moments,” said Miriam Viars, a senior double major in theatre and psychology.
“Beware the Licorice Vines” opens Friday
Anna Evans plays Katie in Lee University Theatre’s first production of the semester.
The show is student directed by Viars, who said it has been a long but ultimately rewarding process.
“From the moment I got [the show] sent to me, I read it a billion times. Then the pre-process is deciding, okay, ‘what is the theme? What do I want to focus on?’ Then casting the show and meeting with a bunch of designers,” Viars said.
As the student director, Viars leads rehearsals by expressing her vision for the show. According to Viars, planning for the show involves meeting with designers, directing blocking on stage, and working with actors on character development. “It’s a super collaborative process. I’m not doing this alone. I could not do this alone. It’s a team,” said Viars.
Noah MacDonald, a sophomore theatre major, plays Tom in the show and described his character as one who brings a sense of calmness amidst the chaos in Hudson’s life. “Hudson’s grief leads to a lot of wacky scenarios…but when my character shows up all of that kind of stops for a second,” explained MacDonald.
“I play Laura Manning. She is Hudson’s dead wife. She lurks about and interacts with people, but no one else can see her but Hudson,” said junior English writing major Iris Luce.
The show marks a first for Minnie Brock, in her role as set designer. “I’m an artist, so I like the art aspect, but my favorite part is building the world and adding the details so that the actors can really escape into the world…” says Brock. “Can they look at the set and be like, ‘Oh, that could be a real place I can walk into,’ because I think theatre is about storytelling and escapism.”
Each show is an opportunity for the theatre program to express creative talents and cultivate a greater sense of community. Among each cast member, a common agreement is the great sense of community and friendships that are built as the show is prepared for production. Noah MacDonald describes the program as having “a really tight bond between faculty and students.”
The cast and crew of the show encourages anyone to come and support the theatre program for their first show of the season.
“Come and see it. Come and support us. We worked really hard on this and…we poured our heart and soul into this and we are really passionate about it. What we love to do is to share it with people. It's not just for us it is for everyone,” Luce said.
The show premiere is this weekend on September 29 and September 30. In addition, there will also be performances on October 5, October 6, and October 7. Each showtime is set for 7:30 p.m. in the Buzz Oates Black Box Theatre in the Communication Arts Building. Tickets for “Beware of the Licorice Vines,” can be purchased online and through the EventBrite app. Tickets are free for Lee students, $10 for children, seniors, and non-Lee students, and $15 for adults.
Lee Theatre has several shows planned for the remainder of the 2023-2024 season. November 3-11 the theatre will perform “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.” In the spring, the theatre has plans for “Julius Caesar” February 9-17 and “The Sound of Music” April 5-13. For updates on Lee’s theatre program, follow their Instagram page @lee_theatre or visit them online.
