Theater department preparing for ‘Young Black Beauty’

February 13, 2006 —

The highs, lows, trials, and tribulations of a horse's life will be the story behind the SVSU theater department's "Young Black Beauty" set to debut at the end of the month.

The only novel by Anna Sewell was the inspiration for Aurand Harris, who wrote the upcoming play. It is a story told from the point of view of none other than a horse. The narrative travels through the horse's life, from its hard days of a town cab horse to the eventual happiness of a good home. In addition to the uniqueness of the story, it will also be accompanied by strong moral values.

Janet Rubin, professor of theater at SVSU, will be bringing her 20 years of experience to the table to direct the play, and says it will bring some "interesting challenges to the students."

Several dialects, along with role specific mannerisms, are just a few challenges the actors will face. Rubin says imagination will be required of the audience during the play.

"The production will bring a minimalist approach; very few props are used," she says.

This presents yet another challenge for the actors. One may recall the play "Our Town," by famed American play write Thornton Wilder, which used no props and pushed the actor's skills to the limit. Look for a similar task to be handled by the theater department.

Auditions for the play were completed January 12.

Katie Muirhead landed the lead role of Young Black Beauty. Kurt McCool, Breann Tunny, Bethany Champion, and Molly Espinoza landed the roles of horses Sir Oliver, Merrylegs, Ginger and Duchess, respectively. These are the actors who have the challenge of not only memorizing lines and entering the minds of their characters psyche, but also learning how to properly act like a horse, representing their movements and mannerisms properly.

"Young Black Beauty" is set to debut Saturday, Feb. 25 with shows at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. There were also be several school matinee shows that will take place on Feb. 27 and 28.

In addition, the theater department decided to get the kids involved.

With Young Black Beauty widely considered a book for children, the theater department also decided to put on shows for several surrounding area schools. These performances will take place March 1, 2, and 3.

For ticket information, contact the SVSU Box Office at (989) 964-4261.