Guest director leads cast in 'Happy Birthday, Wanda June'

It's a little-known fact that in 1970 Kurt Vonnegut, best known for novels like the best-seller "Slaughterhouse Five," decided to take a chance and try his hand at playwrighting. The result of this experiment is the play "Happy Birthday, Wanda June," a crazy and comedic play that will be performed by the IU Department of Theatre and Drama this weekend.\nThe play centers around a violence-loving war-hero named Harold Ryan, who returns home after eight years to find the world embracing a new order of peace and love. Even his wife has fallen in love with a peace-loving man. As Ryan's idea of order is challenged by his wife's new love, murderous events unfold. \nTo direct this piece, the department brought in guest director Scott LaFeber, who has worked and taught professionally in New York and is the artistic director of the New Harmony Theatre in Evansville. LaFeber said he has enjoyed his time at IU, working with the department and especially the students.\n"It's just been a real joy to be here," LaFeber said. \nThe student cast has been happy to have him here, as well, as a director and as a resource.\n"As actors we've asked him about auditions, headshots -- and some of us have even worked with him on auditions," said senior and Indiana Daily Student writer Patrick Doolin, who plays Siegfried Von Konigswald, a Nazi officer killed by Ryan during World War II. "It's great to have him as a resource, and it's comforting to work with someone who's making a living in professional theater." \nStage manager Christine Perrotta, a junior, said she appreciated LaFeber's patience with students. \n"He really accepts the fact that I'm still learning. I've gotten nothing but respect and understanding from him," Perrotta said.\nLaFeber grew up with Vonnegut's writing and feels the play is not too great a departure from Vonnegut's novels and short stories. \n"He has a wicked and very dark sense of humor and he has a strong social view in his writing," LaFeber said. \nDespite the elements of social commentary, LeFeber has tried to take a cue from Vonnegut himself and concentrate on the entertainment value, leaving the deeper message to shine through on its own. \n"When you take a look at Vonnegut's interviews where he talks about his writing, he never considers social issues a huge importance. He writes mainly to entertain, and because of that, that's how I approach the script," LaFeber said. "There are some profound social views in the script, but you can't make it into a lecture. You have to keep the show entertaining, and the social things or political things will probably come out in spite of themselves."\nVonnegut's complex and symbolic writing has presented its share of challenges to the actors. \n"Finding the language of the piece is not quite on par with working on Shakespeare, but finding the language in the moment really is something bigger than itself," Doolin explained. \nSeveral of his castmates agreed. \n"As actors we really have to have a grasp on all of our dialogue, making sure that we understand everything we're saying, because if we don't grasp it, the audience definitely won't be able to," said Taylor James, a senior who plays Ryan's third wife, Mildred. \nThe characters have also been a challenge for some, as the personalities are quite extreme at times. John Armstrong, a Master of Fine Arts acting student who plays the main character, had some difficulty initially finding his character, a man who loves war and killing. \n"It's so far distant from myself, it's hard to relate to," Armstrong said. "You have to have a reason to love your character. A bad guy doesn't know he's a bad guy." \nJames also had some difficulty with her character, Mildred, who is a deceased alcoholic. \n"It was definitely challenging to try to attack this character as not a comical drunk, but as a real person with real emotions," James said. "There were reasons she was a drunk -- there were reasons she drank herself to death." \nDespite the challenges, the cast is enthusiastic about the play. James said she can't wait to see the audience response.\n"There are some very offensive themes within the plot that the audience is definitely going to have a strong emotional reaction to," James said. \nArmstrong said that even though the show has not opened yet, he has already found his own personal joy from the experience. \n"I have enjoyed saying some of the most ridiculous things a human being could ever say," he said.\n"Happy Birthday, Wanda June" plays at 8 p.m. Dec. 3, 4 and 6 through 11 at the Wells-Metz Theatre in the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center. Tickets are $15 for adults, and $13 for seniors and students. Student rush tickets are available for $10 cash with a student ID 30 minutes before show time, provided there are seats available. \nFor those interested in further discussion of the play and the playwright, Professor Emeritus John Woodcock will give a pre-show lecture titled "Moonbeams from Excrement" at 3 p.m. Friday in the Wells-Metz Theatre. \n-- Contact staff writer Kacie Leblong at kleblong@indiana.edu.