The English Department does it Again!

By Jamie Freedman, ENGL 336.001

I step into the Baptist Student Ministry Center and at first, things are a little awkward. There’s only a couple people standing around, chatting in small groups, not even touching the food here. However, after a few minutes, when the theatre players from Cambridge step inside, the atmosphere changes from uncomfortable to personal. The cast walks in with such an air of comfortability, it’s hard not to be charmed. This is the English Department annual picnic, held by the professors of the English department for the cast and crew of Cambridge, England’s theatre group. I meet Nikki, the director of the whole shebang, first. I ask her if she would mind introducing me to some of her cast and crew and she jumps right into it. First I meet Luca Krsljanin, an actor in the group’s upcoming play, Antony and Cleopatra. 21 years of age, and already he seems so sure of himself. When asked what his favorite part of acting was, he replies, “What’s so fascinating about a Shakespeare play is getting comfortable with the language…understanding exactly what they mean.” He says it’s interesting to see Shakespeare develop a whole character in a single page. “It’s such an ensemble piece,” he tells me, “everyone plays an important part.” He looks at me and crosses one leg over the other, like a gentleman. He explains to me that what Nikki has set up here is a very fast paced production with a lot of movement and not a lot of standing around. I ask him about how easy it is to act in front of people, especially out of his element (the United States) and he says it doesn’t really faze him anymore because “so many of us have worked together for so long.” Luca is very passionate about theatre, and he says he has an “insatiable urge to do theatre. I don’t know how to function without it.” An admirable quality in a person.

                The theatre group tour extends all the way down the east coast, starting in Florida and working their way up to South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and eventually Maryland. I asked Luca how, if Cambridge doesn’t offer theatre majors, they paid for everything. He said they all contribute a little bit towards tickets and travel because they love it so much, and they make a little money off of their performances. The hardest thing about moving around so much is that they have to adapt to different stages and environments.

                Another piece of the cast is Tom England, a 22 year old who plays none other than the main character, Antony. He says his favorite part of acting is “trying to illuminate a part of life that is usually not accessed…emotions that they (people) don’t usually feel.” He explains to me, relaxed in his chair, that after university he would like to pursue theatre into the big leagues. Fiona Berreby is another important part of the theatre group, although in a different way. She is a costume and set designer. “I’ve never done costume design, only sets,” she tells me. It’s different because with costumes she gets to make whatever she wants to work, work. She says she loves it.

                I leave the picnic enlightened and happy that I have met three charming people involved in the fine arts. There are not enough people concerned with theatre, at least in my opinion, and these people are the first step to changing that.