CAC | Photo by Kelsie Tomlinson | The Wright State Guardian
The Wright State University performance team is taking on “Sister Act,” the joyful, heartwarming and witty musical about how one aspiring performer remolds a convent choir to find its true voice.
About the show
“Sister Act” takes place in Philadelphia in the late 1970s, when nightclub singer Deloris Van Cartier ends up in a convent. While in this convent, Cartier transforms the choir and the whole nunnery.
Ensemble member Julia Brosas described the musical structure.
“The story is about Deloris discovering her own identity and security and also teaching these nuns how to raise their voice and be able to do what they need to do, but to do it joyfully and in a way that they can express themselves,” Brosas said.
Greg Hellems directs this feel-good mix between sitcom and drama.
Behind the scenes
Pam Lavarnway is the set designer for the performance. Lavarnway explained that preparations for “Sister Act” began at the end of the spring 2022 semester, giving the team around six months to construct the sets.
Lavarnway explained that the setting includes a church placed within a gritty, urban environment with additional brick buildings, alleyways and graffiti based on period pictures. When compiling visual research, Lavarnway found some interesting shots.
“So, I actually found some really great pictures of some old churches in Philadelphia, including some abandoned ones, which were kind of half in ruins, and that was very inspiring to the director and me,” Lavarnway noted.
With over 20 ground plans and at least 10 settings, the challenge of creating movable pieces is one obstacle the production crew faces, according to Lavarnway.
“You have a lot of scenes, it’s got to move pretty cinematically and fluidly,” Lavarnway said. “It’s like a big Tetris where all of the pieces need to figure out not only where they go on stage, but how they move when they go off stage.”
On the stage
Brosas explained that the rehearsal process adheres to the following operation: rehearsing music, blocking, learning choreography, running through and tech rehearsing.
Once the team has committed the singing, dancing and operating to memory, the group incorporates other portions of the production, including lighting, amplification and sound cues.
For Brosas, the most exciting part is Cartier’s teaching moment. Brosas explains what makes this part both unique and comical.
“These nuns are so neat and so obedient and so wonderful, but they can’t really carry a tune all that well,” Brosas said. “Deloris teaches these nuns to use their voice in a positive and expressive way that sounds nice to the ear. It’s very, very energetic.”
The why and how
Brosas explained that WSU’s theater program is special because it gives opportunities for both acting and theater majors to partake in the show.
The talent of the whole cast is evident to both Lavarnway and Brosas.
“[The performers] are at the top of their profession,” Lavarnway proclaimed. “The first thing that makes us special, especially for a public school the size of Wright State, is the level of training and the level of talent in our acting and musical theater students because that’s why you go see a show, right?”
Lavarnway also praised the design and technology program, which has produced strong work in its facilities. Besides the energy, time and effort of the crew, paired with the lively environment of the show, Brosas provides another reason for students to see the musical.
“This is kind of getting out of that mid semester slump. It’s a great opportunity for students to come and kind of just sit in the dark for two hours and enjoy Deloris’s story and see this all come to life, with some fun singing and dancing before getting back to the to the realities of college life,” Brosas mentioned.
The WSU School of Fine and Performing Arts is showcasing “Sister Act” from Nov. 4 to Nov. 20. Tickets are available for purchase from the ticket office website.
