Amy Pontiff, Kirk Campbell and Michael DiPalma at “Noises Off” rehearsal in July 2022.
Courtesy of Newberry College
NEWBERRY — Newberry College this weekend will celebrate its 100th Homecoming, marking a full century of celebrating the college’s people and the place that brought them together. This year’s commemoration is extra special for another milestone — the 22nd anniversary production of “Noises Off.” This comedy reunites members of the original 2000 production, its 2010 reunion and a few newcomers for two shows during this year’s Homecoming weekend.
Shows will be Friday, Oct. 28, at 4 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 29, at 8 p.m. in Wiles Chapel Theater, on the college campus. Admission is free, but seating is limited.
Called “the funniest farce ever written,” “Noises Off” by Michael Frayn follows an ambitious director and his troupe of mediocre actors as they blunder from a bad dress rehearsal to a spectacularly disastrous performance. The cast and crew are putting together a silly sex comedy titled, “Nothing On.” Doors slamming, lovers frolicking, clothes tossed away, and an errant plate of sardines all figure in the plot of this hilarious and classically comic play. This production is suggested for audiences over 13.
“It’s an incredibly fun play,” said Pat Gagliano, interim dean of arts, humanities and social sciences, who directed the 2000 production and both reunions. “The story is we had a group of students, who were seniors at the time, who really wanted to do this play. And it’s a really tough play to do because it’s long, it has an extensive set.”
Members of the original cast who have returned include Kirk (Seaman) Campbell ’00, former counselor Michael DiPalma, Gagliano, Lawrence Ryan and Steven Stack ’96. Amanda (Pennekamp) Bluestein ’04 was on the 2000 crew and joined the cast in 2010. Jane (Ellis) Martin ’05 came aboard in 2010 as a cast member and as assistant director. Both roles she will reprise this year. Newcomers for the 2022 production include Vicky Saye Henderson ’90 and Amy Pontiff ’03.
The director is also assisted by Jeramy Oropeza, instructor of music. The moving set was designed and constructed by Matthew Fuller, director of technical theatre, with assistance from Gagliano and Timothy Roesler.
Campbell is credited with the idea of bringing the cast back together for the 10th anniversary production in 2010.
The cast agreed that the show is back for its third run not only because the show itself is so much fun, but also because they savor the connections they forged during their time at Newberry.
“I think it’s because we all enjoyed each other’s company the first two times around,” said Ryan. “[The show] brings people together in a way that, I don’t think any other show that I’ve been in has. It requires a lot of trust. Moving around the space with all of these other people, you build a relationship with these folks over that period of time.”
The upcoming rendition has been in progress on and off for the past few years, and a tremendous amount of work has been invested to make it the finest yet. Over the course of the pandemic, the cast rehearsed via Zoom. Finally, in late July, they returned to campus for the intense hands-on work.
“When we did the first production in 2000, it was a typical rehearsal schedule, probably about six weeks, and we met five nights a week,” said Gagliano. “In 2010, we said, ‘How are we going to do this? We live in five different states.’ We have to get together and work it because a lot of the play is timing. So everybody comes to Newberry, we rehearse nonstop for a week, and we put it all together. It was just an emotional and physical exhaustion that was totally worth it.”