SNU’s spring musical, Anastasia, is almost upon us. The show is set to be performed on March 8 and 9, with two shows on each day, giving everyone in the community plenty of opportunities to see a performance. Rebekah Ambrosini, one of our professors in the music department and one of the leaders behind putting this show onto our stage, talks about giving people the opportunity to witness something fun, saying that she loves “being able to promote the arts in our community through high-quality musical programs.” It certainly seems that it will be another great success for the music department, continuing their winning streak of putting together incredibly entertaining musicals for the community.
Based on the legend of the Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov, as well as the 1997 animated film of the same name, the musical follows Anya, an amnesiac street sweeper living during the Russian Revolution. She begins to suspect she may be the lost princess and teams up with two con men, Vlad and Dmitry, to find out the truth of her heritage. Along the way, they meet plenty of dynamic and interesting characters, such as Gleb, a Bolshevik soldier who is dispatched to kill Anya, Lily, a countess who has a history with Vlad, and the Dowager Empress. Every single one of these characters in the story presents great opportunities for the actors to add their own flair and style, making these characters truly their own.
When asked what excited him the most about performing in the musical, SNU student, Connor Padgett, who is one of the actors playing the character of Vlad, expressed his joy about what he felt was his “first big role while performing in college.” He specifically highlighted the character’s comedic sensibility, saying, “I want to try and make the audience laugh as much as possible!” It is shows like these that allow our students to get the opportunity to shine in big roles that are well-suited to their talents, allowing them to get their names out there for the possibility of playing even more major roles in musicals during their tenure at SNU.
There are also exciting challenges for our performers, who are working hard to be able to grow in their talents and take on roles that are unlike anything they have ever done before. For example, Jada Nichols, another SNU student, who is one of the actresses playing the role of Anya, was asked about some of the challenges that have come her way to help her grow as a performer. She mentions that one of her biggest challenges in the musical was “portraying the strength and pain of the character.” Nichols continues by explaining that “a few relationships Anya has are parallel to connections with loved ones in her own life.” Speaking from experience, actors in musicals such as these often turn to memories, past experiences, or current relationships in order to add further depth to their performances, putting in all of the effort they can into creating these memorable performances.
As we get closer and closer to the opening of Anastasia, there are plenty of high hopes from everyone, not just from the many excited audience members but also from the cast. Allie Ward, an SNU student who is one of the actresses playing the role of Lily, expressed that she wants this show to be “a breath of fresh air for the community,” and have it be something where anyone who is having any kind of struggles in their day-to-day life can come to SNU, shrug off their worries for a night, and have a wonderful night watching a show made with love and passion from everyone involved. As someone who is in the musical, and has seen it come together over the past two months, I am very excited for the SNU community to come to see it, hopefully giving them a story to remember in the process!
Featured Photo by Olivia Lindsly