NMSU-A Calendar, Expanded Descriptions
“The Nerd” Opens November 7th
Posted November 5, 2008 by admin
This Friday, November 7, the curtain goes up at 7:30 pm on THE NERD, a hit comedy by Larry Shue, at the Rohovec Fine Arts Center on the NMSU-A campus. Subsequent performances are on November 8, 14, and 15th at 7:30 pm and on Sunday, November 16, at 2:00 pm.
See pictures of the cast!
The play’s amusing plot revolves around Willum Cubbert, an aspiring young architect in Terre Haute, Indiana, whose life was saved when he was rescued by an unknown Army recruit named Rick Steadman during the Kuwait war. Although Cubbert owes his life to the heroic battlefield efforts of Steadman, the two have never had a chance to meet. Then one day Cubbert checks the messages on his telephone answering machine and is surprised and elated to discover that Steadman will be paying him a visit. But when Steadman shows up on Cubbert’s door step, Cubbert’s life plunges into a tailspin as Steadman tests Cubbert’s patience by becoming “the guest from hell.”
The acting talents of many NMSU-A students are showcased in THE NERD. Brian Wallis plays Willum Cubbert, a man who sincerely wants to repay Steadman for saving his life, while Carlos Aranda portrays the nerdy Rick. The cast also includes students Jason Komsa, who plays drama critic Axel Hammond, Cubbert’s friend, and Paula Rodgers Miller, who plays Tansy McGinnis, Cubbert’s girlfriend. Veteran stage performers Cliff Reisig and Monica Helm play Warnock “Ticky” Waldgrave and Clelia Waldgrave, Cubbert’s wealthy clients, and young actor Jonathan Booth, a fourth-grade student at La Luz Elementary School, plays Waldgrave’s son, Thor.
Connie Breding, Associate Professor of Theatre, directs THE NERD, and is assisted by Reisig and NMSU-A students Ryan Butson and Nick Zajac.
Will Bartlett, Theatre Instructor and Technical Director, designed the Cubbert residence, which was built and decorated by the THTR 141 Stagecraft Class. Stagecraft class members who worked on the set include Ann Bagby, James Booth, Suzette Booth, Bryan Crosby, Debbie Crosby, Victoria Crosby, Larisa Hoke, Val Isleib, Cliff Reisig, Brady Randall, and Gabrielle Wallace. Additional artistic support was provided by Sarah Bouma and Lori Furr who painted the background landscapes.
Roland Mansfield, who retired from NMSU-A theatre last semester, returned to design the complex sound effects for THE NERD and to operate the sound board.
Other backstage personnel includes Tiffany Wallace, Chris Hurt, Maria Duarte, and Kara Gepford on properties, JoJo Chanez operating the light board, Lori Silva on scene shift crew, and Christina Stubbs on makeup.
Admission to THE NERD is $8 for adults and $4 for high school and children. NMSU-A students with a valid college ID card may purchase up to two tickets for $2 each. Advance tickets are available at The Blue Stone and TLC Portraits in the White Sands Mall, and tickets will also be available at the theatre box office the dates of the performances.
THE NERD is a comedy that has consistently received positive reviews, and NMSU-A Theatre believes audience members will be laughing as they watch the onstage antics .
For more information, contact Diana at 575-439-3670.
Auditions for “The Nerd”
Posted August 18, 2008 by admin
Calling all actors!
All college and community performers who aspire to be part of a rip-roaring comedy, should mark their calendars because NMSU-A Theatre on the Hill will hold auditions for “The Nerd” on Tuesday, August 26 at 8 pm and on Thursday, August 28 at 8 pm at the Rohovec Fine Arts Center.
Roles are available for 4 men and 2 women who can play an age range from late 20s to mid 50s. Plus, there is also a role for a boy who can play between 8 to 12 years old.
“The Nerd” will kick off the 2008-2009 theatre season on November 7, 8, 14, 15 & 16.
Director Connie Breding expects “The Nerd” to be a real crowd pleaser. “If audiences like to laugh, then ‘The Nerd’ will certainly tickle the funny bone. I always feel a good indicator of a play’s comic value is when I laugh out loud when reading the script. I definitely laughed when I read ‘The Nerd’.”
The plot of “The Nerd” centers around Willum Cubbert an aspiring young architech in Terre Haute, Indiana, who has often told his friends about the debt he owes to Rick Steadman, a fellow ex-GI whom he has never met but who saved his life after he was seriously wounded in the war. Willum has written to Rick to say that as long as he is alive, “you will have somebody on Earth who will do anything for you”—so Willum is delighted when Rick shows up unexpectedly at his apartment on the night of his thirty-fourth birthday party. But, Willum’s delight soon fades as it becomes apparent that Rick is a hopeless “nerd”—a bumbling oaf with no social sense, little intelligence and less tact. And Rick stays on and on, his continued presence among Willum and his friends leading to one uproarious incident after another, until the normally placid Willum finds himself contemplating violence—a dire development which, happily, is staved off.
In addition to Willum Cubbert and Rick Steadman, other characters in the play are Tansy McGinnis, Willum’s girlfriend; Axel Hammond, Willum’s friend; Warnock Waldgrave, a wealthy client of Willum’s; Clelia Waldgrave, Warnock’s somewhat eccentric wife; and Thor Waldgrave, the Waldgrave’s young son, who is both a bit precocious and bratty.
People interested in auditioning are encouraged to read the script prior to try-outs. Scripts can be checked out for a twenty-four hour period up in the ProTech Division Office. Call Diana at 439-3670 for more information on obtaining a reading copy of the play.
Anyone who would like to work backstage is also encouraged to stop in during auditions and sign up for crew assignments. College credit is available for students who provide technical assistance by enrolling in THTR 249, Running Crew. “The Nerd” has a very demanding list of props, so anyone who would like to help in that area would be kept busy.
Any student enrolled in an NMSU-A theatre course can audition with the assurance that, if cast, rehearsals for “The Nerd” will not conflict with theatre class schedules. If students are enrolled in Introduction to Stagecraft, Acting, or any other theatre class, they can participate both in theatre classes as well as the production.
Will Bartlett, NMSU-A scene designer and technical director, will handle set design and construction duties, assisted by members of the stagecraft class.
Contact Connie Breding at 442-1340 should you have additional questions about either auditions or the production.
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