S T . G E N E S I U S , P R A Y F O R U S . I N M Y O L D S C H O O L , W E N E V E R S A I D “ B R E A K A L E G ”

the red masquers newsletter S P R I N G 2 0 1 5 V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 2

table of contentsW E A L W A Y S S A I D “ G O O D S H O W ” A N D I T M E A N T “ P L A Y W I T H L O V E ” .

3 the president’s address by marsha mayhak

4 from the musical to the musicless by gabrielle antonicelli

5 farewell, peter mills! by abby blackmon

6 red masquer memories by laura (miller) donaldson

7 welcome to the family by kim caione

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Well, Masquers, it’s the end of an era! As we enter the last semester of our

time in Peter Mills Auditorium and I enter the second semester of my senior year, I stare at this blank page and realize that there is only one way to move forward: to dive in head-first.

Rehearsals for this year’s alumni show, A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, are underway, and it has been amazing to see such a tal-ented mixture of enthusiastic new students and faithful returning faces. It is with the en-ergy and passion demonstrated by this and other such casts that we must wrap up our time in Rockwell Hall and prepare to move forward into our new space. That is why we have chosen to open up participation in all of our shows next season to all Red Mas-quers, old and new. We are hopeful that this will strengthen the Masquer community as we proceed through our big move, while acting as a reminder to alumni and an intro-duction to new students of what this organi-zation is all about.

In the meantime, we need as much support as possible. We have some great shows planned for this spring! A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, featuring some familiar favorites and some great new talent, opens in Febru-

ary; Album hits the stage in April; and One Acts for Charity, supporting the Mario Le-mieux foundation, will be presented April 29. As always, we’d like to see as many friendly faces as possible in the audience, as well as at crews, Big Jim’s, and assisting with prep for the move.

There are countless memories within (and written on) the walls of Peter Mills, and for many Masquers across the years, it has become somewhat of a second home. In some ways, it may be hard to say goodbye, but it is important to remember that with this ending comes an incredible new beginning. The past will live on in the hearts of Red Mas-quers everywhere, even as we look forward to this new era of growth and improvement. We may be moving to a slightly more desir-able location on the bluff, but beyond that, the Red Masquers aren’t going anywhere. Bet you thought I couldn’t get any sappier than last time.

I’ll leave you with this, a little tidbit from Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: “We do on stage things that are supposed to happen off. Which is a kind of integrity, if you look on every exit as being an entrance somewhere else.”

the president’s addressby marsha mayhak

In high school, I was always an active mem-ber of the annual musical. From the difficult

dissonance of Sondheim’s Into the Woods, to the campy, familiar melodies of The Wizard of Oz, each year our cast would work diligently under the guidance of our director, Mrs. Tess Gist, to produce a full-length, quality pro-duction. I loved musical theatre, and never really considered the possibility of acting in a play. Plays are easy, I thought. They’re just musicals, minus the music and choreography. Where’s the challenge?

Boy, was I wrong.

On August 26th, I auditioned for the Red Masquers’ production of I Am a Camera. I had been on campus for exactly one week at that point, and didn’t expect much from the audition. Two days later though, I got the email saying I’d made the cut; I had officially been cast into my first Red Masquers’ pro-duction. In the following month, I would learn a ridiculous amount by watching my fellow cast members on stage, and of course by following our director, John Lane’s, insane acting exercises.

I had previously perceived plays as a simpler version of musical theatre…but you see, the thing about a play is, all you have is your acting. Working with the cast and crew of I Am a Camera, I quickly realized just how difficult it is to create an interesting, worth-while production without hiding behind the glitz and glam of jazz squares and four-part harmonies. Without the razzle-dazzle of musi-cal theatre, I found myself constantly working to maintain energy on stage, as John enthusi-astically yelled from the audience to “stop

letting the energy drain from the scene!”

I even felt a shift in my acting itself; whereas in musical theatre emotions are normally ex-pressed through song, in the world of the play actors have to be able to use their speaking voices and body language to convey realis-tic, natural emotional responses. Without the fabricated energy, tones, rises, and falls pro-vided by the songs and dances of musical theatre, I was more free to develop my own character and emotions. This was far more challenging than I had anticipated, as I had to pull from my own personality and experi-ences rather than relying on a musical score to set the tone and temperament of my character. Accordingly, my acting became more genuine and realistic. In the words of April Henry, “Don’t Act. Be.”

Now none of this is to disrepute the work of musical theatre; I still hold a great deal of respect, admiration, and personal enjoyment for musicals. Yet as I begin to work in my second production with the Red Masquers, A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, I hold an equal amount of regard for the music-less theatre. The raw type of energy, emotion, and acting needed to make a play interesting has cer-tainly benefited my personal acting abilities, not to mention the amazingly supportive, fun environment created by the Red Masquers themselves. I look forward to many future productions alongside my fellow Masquers, and many new lessons and improvements to learn from.

from the musical to the musiclessby gabrielle antonicelli

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farewell, peter mills!by abby blackmon

Peter Mills Auditorium has been the home of the Red Masquers for over a decade. Back-

stage, the writings of generations of students cover the walls commemorating years of fond memories and experiences showcasing the his-tory of the Red Masquers. Signatures, drawings and jokes connect old members to new. I have always enjoyed looking at these walls like a win-dow into the past.

As both the historian for the organization and a history major, I spend much of my time looking to the past. Recently, I began updating the roster of all former Masquers. Throughout this project, it was incredible to see just how many people from all areas of study and from all over the world have been a part of this organization over the last 102 years. While some have continued on in their professional pursuit of the performing arts, others have ventured on to new careers in medicine, law, education and many other fields. The stage is a home to many providing the back-drop to fond memories that we will remember for years to come.

As the Masquers continue to grow and develop as a theater company, it is amazing to see how far we have come and where we are going. In seven short months we will have a new home in the black box theater. The memories that remain in Peter Mills will always be a part of our history as we continue on. However, this new theater offers us a unique opportunity to create new memo-ries. And we have a fresh slate of walls to draw on. Which is pretty great because Peter Mills is running out of room.

hello, genesius project!

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red masquer memoriesby laura (miller) donaldson

I can still remember the first show I ever

did in the Peter Mills Theatre. It was Anton Chekov’s Three Sisters, and I was cast as Nata-sha. It was 1997, and I was a wide-

eyed freshman who couldn’t wait to get my feet on that stage. Martin Giles, a well-known and award-win-ning Pittsburgh actor, was our director who also happened to feel like a friend you’d known your whole life. Little did I know that my experience working on Three Sisters with Marty would eventually set me on a path to professional work in the Pittsburgh theatre scene and now, almost two decades later, my final show on the Peter Mills stage. With the new theatre currently being built and slated for completion in the fall semester of this year, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowl-edge what an incredible home away from home the Peter Mills Theatre was for me.

As my years at Duquesne sped by, I per-formed in almost a dozen shows, worked with incredible directors like Jay Keenan and John Lane, learned and practiced the craft of acting, and confidently picked up a power tool to help build sets. The Peter Mills Theatre felt like my truest second home. It was there that I spent the majority of my weeknights in rehearsals and my weekends building sets and running lines with my fellow actors while sitting in the back row near the stage man-ager’s booth. When my junior year rolled around, I branched out and began doing professional work with companies like the

Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre (now known as PICT Classic Theatre), as well as signed with an agent for commercial, indus-trial film, and voice-over work, and I had the good fortune of meeting and working with some incredible people. But all the while, the Peter Mills Theatre was where my heart felt most at home. I felt the most authentic ver-sion of myself come through when I walked up those steps and into the theatre. The smell was so familiar and comfortable. The notes and inside jokes written on the walls in the wings ensured that I was never alone; my fel-low actors’ and predecessors’ souls laid bare on those cinder block walls, reminding me that we were a family, that we’d all experi-enced this life-changing thing called the the-atre, that we’d experienced it at Duquesne, in the Peter Mills Theatre, together.

Now, as I prepare for the role of Lady Kix in A Chaste Maid in Cheapside in the final season at the Peter Mills Theatre, these memories flood over me, reminding me what an honor and privilege it was to spend so many, many hours on that stage, with those friends, with those directors. I’m an alumna, nearly two decades after my first time stepping foot on that stage, getting ready to say goodbye to a home that shaped me in more ways than I can express. I do not take the honor of performing in the alumni show lightly. It is a rare gift, a chance to return to what feels like a place of birth for me, a place where I became the truest self I’ve ever known. Peter Mills Theatre, and the incredible people who shared with me their lives within its walls, will remain in my heart long after it takes its final bow.

S O G O O D S H O W , E V E R Y B O D Y , G O O D S H O W !

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S O G O O D S H O W , E V E R Y B O D Y , G O O D S H O W !

welcome to the familyby kim caione

I have been involved with theater since the sixth grade.

I have been a part of virtually every aspect of a production; I have acted, sang, danced, built sets, fundraised, ad-vertised, worked lights and sound, prepared entire casts’ hair and makeup, worked with costumes, and an assort-ment of other random she-nanigans. While doing all of this at times was rather stress-ful, I made memories I would never give up for the world.

When it came time for col-lege, I knew that what I wanted, more than anything, was to be a part of a the-ater group. Some may think that’s crazy and it is; theater people are crazy. However, I find there’s a bond among

theater people like no other. We become a family. When I graduated and had to leave my drama family of seven years behind, I was wel-comed into a new one with open arms: The Duquesne University Red Masquers. While the group is accepting of anyone of any skill level or major to join, I had to put in the effort to prove that I would be a dedicated Mas-quer. I got to know members of the group by attending their social events, auditioning for roles (even when I knew the chances were slim), par-ticipating in crews despite not having a role in the show, and being an audience member.

While at first I was not on stage, I was proving my char-

acter - proving that I wanted to be a part of this new family.

This semester, I will be per-forming in A Chaste Maid in Cheapside. While I am most certainly not a leading lady, I am on stage and feel like I am a member of the family. So, if you are like me and looking not just to be on stage, but to be a part of a family like no other, then join the Red Masquers. Don’t let auditions scare you or not being cast in a show drive you away. Go to crews, social events, and shows. Get involved and be-come a part of the Red Mas-quers family.