By Joe Doherty
In the dimly lit confines of theTheater Arts Building, four actors build to a booming crescendo. Eyes closed, they begin with a low hum – then raise an octave, then another, and another. The vocal exercise peaks when the air drains from their lungs. Upon climaxing, their collective voice gets lost in the lofty expanse of the room. There is no echo.
Tonight, the male actors wear casual dress: Afrim Djonbalic, who also played Dr. Frankenferter in"The Rocky Horror Picture Show", sports a black turtle-neck, accentuated by a scruffy goatee of the same color. Another student-actor, Ian Cap, dresses in a striped-green polo, revealing his gold chain. The actresses – Jeanette Steiner and Camille Julien – however, rehearse in their restrictive, 18th century corsets for the first time. Their wincing faces as they waddle to-and-fro spell obvious discomfort.
This is the set for the student adaptation of "Les Liaisons Dangereuses".
It’s roughly 7:30 p.m. While many collegians are doing homework, studying or working, these students are striving for absolute perfection on stage.
“I have to work to pay my rent,” says Dechen Garza, who plays the role of Rosemonde. “But it comes down to taking a stance: If this is what you want to do, you have to make sacrifices.”
The actors take this juggling act in stride. These marathon rehearsal sessions take place Sunday through Thursday, and some weeks Fridays as well. They describe their work in the theater as far more mentally – and physically – taxing than the average student’s part-time job.
“Usually, it’s like another full-time job,” says Steiner. “Your paycheck turns into the part-time.”
With a casual nod from director Donn Youngstrom, the actors take their first crack at tonight’s opening scene.
Hesitating for a moment, Cap strolls out to the foreground. All is silent. He murmurs an inaudible line to Djonbalic to reinforce the secret nature of his comment.
“Is that the actual line?” Youngstrom abruptly pipes in.
Capp looks nervous. “No,” he answers.
“Then don’t say it,” Youngstrom shoots back. “If Christopher Hamptonwould of wanted it that way – he would’ve put it the script.” Youngstrom smiles. These comments are not grounded in malice.
“Director’s note aren’t insults – they’re constructive criticism,” Djonbalic says. “So if you take a step in the wrong direction, maybe it just wasn’t the right choice for that moment, but you discover what is best for the audience to be entertained, and to understand the story and know what’s happening.”
The next scene begins. Youngstrom, whose ambience matches the director prototype – a well-groomed, middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair fixed above a thin, white moustache – sits patiently, grinning. His clothes are black from head-to-toe.
“Drink up,” Djonbalic says, as he picks up the two water-filled cups, which in this particular scene, represent champagne.
“Good, good. That was perfect” Youngstrom says as Djonbalic takes a few steps forward as he spouts the line. This time he’s pleased. During these casual rehearsals, Youngstrom often toys with the actor’s presentation of the lines. A matter of a few steps can capture the essence of the scene’s emotion.
It’s a shade past 8:30 p.m. and they have gone through merely two scenes. The actors say that, at times, Youngstrom’s creative vision requires double-digit takes for a small slice of the production.
The players pull much more than minor bumps and bruises out of the experience, though.
"It give me greater confidence in the way I live life,” Steiner says. “The classes that I have taken have given me a better understanding of myself.”
“When you look at acting from an outside perspective, it looks easy,” Garza says. “To be a good actress is very, very challenging. You have to go to places – dark places. To act with honesty is very difficult. You have to be honest to yourself first.”
“Les Liaisons Dangereuses” runs March 2-4 and 9-11 at 8 p.m. in the Warren Enters Theater in Upton Hall.Special matinee shows are at 2 p.m. March 5 and 12.
To respond to this article, email Joe Doherty at dohejp91@mail.buffalostate.edu
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