Students bring Cabaret to life
For her role in DU's production of Cabaret, music major Rachel Bouton learned dancing, acting and even construction.
Bouton, a senior from Littleton, Colo., who starred as the show's Sally Bowles, is one of dozens of students who benefited from a new annual collaboration between DU's Lamont School of Music and Department of Theatre. Cabaret was the first production the two departments staged together, and it gave students the hands-on experience they crave.
Chris Johnson, a senior theater major, starred as the Emcee in DU's production of Cabaret.
Learning from each other
Cabaret's 16-member cast was split evenly between music majors and theater majors. And roles and responsibilities were divided equally, says Kim Axline, an assistant theater professor and the director of the production.
"It's not just music kids singing and theater kids acting or building the show," she says. "Music students have come in to work on the sets and costumes, and theater students have trained their voices."
Students from both departments learned from the new partnership.
Chris Johnson, a senior theater major from Newcastle, Wash., who starred as the Emcee, says musicians brought a fresh perspective to the show. "It's great working with performers who have different experience, different talents," he says.
For some music students, this production was their first chance to focus on acting.
"I've learned so much more about acting and movement on stage," says Danielle Heinert, a sophomore from Sturgis, S.D., who had the role of Frau Schneider.
Student-built and student-run
Perhaps most important, all the students involved got first-hand experience in creating a show.
Faculty from the theater department designed the set, lighting and costumes, but students did the actual building, painting and sewing. "The students did all the work, with direction from the pros," Axline says.
The entire cast helped erect the sets and lighting and create costumes. These activities are part of the curriculum for theater majors, but it was a new experience for some of the music students. "I built a wall," Bouton says. "I couldn't believe it. I'd never done anything like that."
Students also stage-managed the production and ran lights and sound. When the show opened on Jan. 18, it became "a fully student-run production," Axline says.
The collaborative new show was dazzling, she says. "We've surpassed what people expect from college theater. This is great theater, period."
Cabaret played at the Newman
Center for the Performing Arts Jan. 18-28, 2007.
Published on Jan. 22, 2007