The cast and crew of the Mimes and Mummers’ production of ‘Rent’ has been preparing for nearly six weeks now. Jess Mannino/The Fordham Ram
By Matt Moro
Some kids who grow up in the theater world decide that when it comes time to head to college, studying theater is the obvious choice. But for those who choose not to study theater, the decision does not mean they have forgotten about that part of their lives. Just ask the Mimes and Mummers.
The Mimes and Mummers is the oldest club on the Fordham University campus, dating back to 1855 when it was established as the St. John’s Dramatic Society by Charles Melton Walcott. Today the group consists of all Rose Hill students, none of whom are theater majors. The group puts on four shows a school year, and their next show is Rent, the Tony Award winning musical which ran on Broadway for 12 years, depicting the lives of young artists in New York City living during the heights of the HIV/AIDS crisis.
The secretary of the Executive Board of Mines and Mummers, Elle Crane, FCRH ’16, who is in charge of gaining the rights to shows, said that it was a very happy moment when the group learned it would be able to perform Rent.
“Even when we picked it last year I said ‘Are we really going to be able to do my dream show?’” Crane said. “Everyone felt the same way. It’s everyone’s dream show.”
After such a long run on Broadway, the show became one that theatre enthusiasts, like Crane, are quite familiar with. “I’ve seen Rent maybe 70 times, no exaggeration, since I was 12,” she said.
Although Nick Lopresto, FCRH ’16, is a pre-med major, he is also quite familiar with the show. He is playing Angel, a transgender musician with AIDS, in the Mimes and Mummers production, but this isn’t his first go-around with Rent.
“I actually did Rent my senior year of high school in community theatre,” Lopresto said. Back then he played Mark, the narrator. “I wanted to do it again and be a different part. I’m excited to be in a different role and give something new.”
Becuase Mimes and Mummers is a club and not part of the students’ curriculum, members say they have to find time to study their lines and practice the musical numbers outside of rehearsal. With such a short turnaround (the production is taking just 6 weeks from auditions to opening night) Luke Witherall, FCRH ’16, said preparation can be a challenge.
“I fell behind at first, I was like ‘I have time,’ and then I realized ‘No I don’t,’” Witherall said. “I’ve just been living with that [script]. Today I was on the bike at the gym and I had my script with me, listening to the soundtrack on my iPod.”
Although the group is student run, there is always at least one very important person that the cast and crew need to get accustomed to: the group hires a professional director for each show. This year, it’s Brendan Stackhouse, a recent graduate of Wagner College.
“Thankfully everyone here seems to trust me and respect me,” Stackhouse, who is directing his first show at Fordham, said. “I think with the title of director you walk into a room knowing that you are the one in charge. So you have respect [right off] the bat. It’s just keeping it [which is the difficult part], which I feel like I’ve been able to do.”
Stackhouse has been impressed by the students so far. “It’s an incredibly respectful and incredibly intelligent group of actors,” he said.
And while Stackhouse plays an important role in giving the performance its direction, it is still up to the students to make sure the production stays on track. That is where the producers come in.
“The producer’s job is to make sure everything all comes together,” one of the show’s producers, Caroline Reichert, GSB ’15, said. “If there’s any kind of conflict, that’s what we handle.”
Jack Andersen, FCRH ’16, is also a producer, and additionally is in charge of building the sets. He uses that role as a way to get away from the stress of the rest of school.
“I do a lot of the carpentry backstage, so I get to work with all of the power tools,” Andersen said. “I’ll come in when I’m not going to class and I’ll look around and see what needs to be done…it’s a nice way to decompress for me.”
Due to its subject matter, Rent is an emotional piece. The cast members said it is likely that their own reactions will be equally emotional when opening night hits.
“Everyone is going to cry,” said Vanessa Agovida, FCRH ’16, an actress and four-time Mimes and Mummers veteran. “It’s an emotional show, so it is going to be a problem trying to hold, pace yourself, and make sure you’re not losing control.”
Rent opens at Collins Hall on Thursday, February 26th, and runs until Sunday March 1st
