Indiana Festival Theater creates stage presence

As the second half of the IU Theatre and Drama Department’s production season kicks off this weekend with “Les Liaison,” theater students will already begin preparing for work this summer.

The current production season of the IU Theatre and Drama Department, as well as theater courses students are involved in, will provide preparation for the upcoming Indiana Festival Theatre season.

This season of the festival marks its second year at the IU campus. The program was put in place last year to correspond with the mission statement of the department, which encourages training professional artists through experience.

The Indiana Festival Theatre does so by providing an atmosphere similar to the professional world of acting and allowing students to put into practice what they learned during the academic year, said Scott Jones, the BFA liaison of the Musical Theatre Program.

Students involved in the Festival Theatre run full days of production preparation without the stress and time constraints of classes. This preparation, Jones said, is usually comprised of a day of rehearsal followed by evenings of repertory to learn three productions that involve many of the same actors in each show — all in a matter of weeks.

“It’s a hefty and quick learning time,” Jones said.

In addition to providing a professional atmosphere, the summer program brings in professional actors and directors to aid the students in their endeavors.

Professional actors Rob Johansen and Henry Woronicz were a part of a Festival Theatre production last summer and provided the young actors and stage technicians with practiced guidance.

Information about professionals who will attend this summer’s festival is not yet available.

The Festival Theatre productions for this upcoming summer will be “Damned Yankees!”, “Taming of the Shrew” and “You Can’t Take It With You.”

“Students will be moving from studying costumes to actually building costumes,” said Drew Bratton, arts administrator of the theatre program.

He also compared performing in the show to having a hands-on acting class every night of the week.

The Festival Theatre is not exclusive to IU students, either.

Denise Dorotheo, a Bloomington High School South sophomore, participated in the festival’s production of “The Music Man” last summer.

“IFT showed me what it was like to be in a more professional environment,” Dorotheo said. “Witnessing the performances of more mature actors taught me a lot. IFT also gave me more confidence in my own abilities.”

Dorotheo said she advises future participants to plan to give a significant amount of time and energy to the Festival Theatre.

“You’re expected to work hard and be professional, but it’s still a great joy. Anyone who does IFT will grow as a performer,” Dorotheo said.