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Kaeti Shields' hard work will finally pay off when she takes the stage for her seventh and last play, "Lady From the Sea."
Shields, a senior in theater from Louisville, Ky., has been involved in 75 percent of the plays put on in the Theater Department since she began at SIUC as a freshman. She said she's auditioned for them all.
"Lady From the Sea" will run at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday with a matinee showing at 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $11 for adults, $9 for seniors and $6 for students and children. Discounts will be given to groups of 10 or more.
Shields will perform the role of Hilde, the youngest daughter of a small-town doctor who takes on a second wife, Ellida. She said her character provides some comic relief from the serious nature of the play, which centers on Ellida's search for her place in life.
According to Shields, the cast has been working on their characters since auditions in September, an unusually large amount of time ˜ three months and numerous hours.
"It's been interesting," Shields said. "It's been a lot of fun ˜ a lot of work."
According to Rebecca Fishel Bright, the play's director, rehearsal time is based on the needs of the actors and the needs of the play. Since Henrik Ibsen, writer of "Lady From the Sea," is not widely performed and many of her actors are new to performance, she said the play was more difficult to put together.
"Many people think rehearsals mean learning your lines and learning your blocking, then putting on a show," Bright said. "But you don't. An actor spends a lot of time crafting a human being."
"Lady From the Sea" centers on Ellida, played by first-time actress Simone Sulwer. According to Shields, Ellida's husband treats her like a daughter instead of a wife. He idolizes her, but in doing so, he places her in a position of idleness and dependency.
Ellida becomes more carefree, indulging in her whims. When her ex-fiancé and partner returns from his exile at sea, she is forced to choose between leaving with him and staying in her unhappiness.
"It's all about wanting to find your place and wanting to find a home where you fit in," Shields said.
Shields said the best part of the play has been making friends with the cast and learning their habits. Her own personal ritual includes dancing to music by N'Sync in the dressing room to get her energy up.
Bright, a theater professor at SIUC, suggested the play by Ibsen, an internationally known Norwegian dramatist, for production. She said when the play was approved, she pounced on the opportunity to direct it.
According to Bright, Ibsen was the first to write about average people. She also said the play reflects the changes of the times he lived in, giving a feminist perspective to Ibsen's writing.
According to Shields, the play has been more difficult to put together. The actors have had less than two weeks on the actual set and only a month on the full stage. They also left late and came back early during Thanksgiving break for rehearsals.
Despite the difficulties of rehearsal, Bright said she was pleased with the dedication and hard work of the actors. Although Bright has high hopes for her cast, she said the performance would tell if all the work paid off.
Jennifer Zubal, a theater student from Mt. Olive and assistant stage manager, said the work and time required has been stressful for the whole cast.
"It's a whole lot of responsibility," Zubal said. "It's overwhelming because I've been here for so many months when I'm used to doing, like, a week of work [backstage]."
However, she said she has seen a significant improvement in the acting since rehearsals began.
Bright, who acted professionally for 20 years before becoming a professor, said she was excited about the performance, calling the actors a "dream cast."
"It's going to be a challenge to come up to it on opening night and see what happens," Bright said. "I'll be surprised. We'll all be surprised, but it's looking good."
