A recording of correct pronunciations was played for the actors, but ultimately Director Dale McFadden said it was their decision to make.
They toyed with title character Hedda Tesman’s name for a moment, experimenting with the sound before visiting professor Henry Woronicz spoke.
“Tesman, it’s stress on the first syllable,” he said.
Woronicz and first-year master of fine arts acting student Abby Lee looked to each other to confirm before the whole cast followed his lead and practiced the pronunciation.
Woronicz said acting alongside students as Judge Brack in “Hedda Gabler” is another way of teaching.
Woronicz has been acting, directing and teaching for more than 35 years.
As an actor and director, he worked for prominent theater companies such as American Conservatory Theatre, the Shakespeare Theatre and Indiana Repertory Theatre.
Woronicz also appeared on Broadway in 2005 in “Julius Caesar” at the Belasco Theatre.
As a teacher, Woronicz was an associate professor on the School of Theatre faculty and head of the MFA Acting Program at Illinois State University from 2009 to 2012.
He returned to Bloomington in January 2014 as a visiting faculty member and guest artist for the IU Department of Theatre, Drama and Contemporary Dance, according to its website.
Upon his return, Woronicz appeared on the IU stage as the titlular character of Shakespeare’s “King Lear.”
He said Shakespeare has been his specialty in his career.
“I’ve been in 70-something productions of Shakespeare,” he said. “I’ve been working on these plays for a long time.”
Woronicz teaches a graduate course and undergraduate course in acting Shakespeare at IU, as well as an undergraduate introductory acting course for theater majors.
He said being on stage allows him to teach the craft effectively.
“Acting is an art form that’s best learned by doing it,” he said.
When performing with students, Woronicz said he is aware that he is functioning as a sort of role model for the current students in the production.
McFadden said Woronicz is a valuable cast member for students to observe because of his ability to listen and engage with others on stage.
“He’s going to bring the best out in other people on stage,” he said.
Acting students are able to learn from Woronicz both on and off the stage because they get an idea of what a working process in a theater can be, McFadden said.
Woronicz said acting with students allows him to break down the barriers between professor and student, making lessons in acting more tangible to them.
“They see someone who’s dealing with the same kinds of things they’re dealing with in class,” he said. “But it’s at a different level.”
