Manhattan College’s Will Erat chooses Dogfight as the MC Players spring musical. @PLAYERSMC INSTAGRAM/COURTESY
By Barbara Vasquez, Asst. Production Editor
Dogfight is a coming-of-age production full of drama, romance and the tragedy of sending off young men to war. Get ready because it’s the MC Players’ choice for their spring musical!
The spring musical decision was confirmed recently via an announcement on the Players’ Instagram.
Following the comedic productions they put on in the fall semester, including the Phineas and Ferb Cabaret and Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors, the dramatic production of Dogfight brings a bit of change.
The options for the spring musical were narrowed down to just a few by the Players, with the ultimate decision being made by director Will Erat. This musical was chosen for its range of content and the meaning behind the musical overall.
MC Players marketing chair, Olivia Bailey, shared her thoughts on the matter.
“It’s a musical with deep subject matter including love, loss and elements of war, and we as a club want to respectfully bring musicals with meaning to the stage for audiences to see,” Bailey wrote in an email to The Quadrangle.
Tess Nunan, the producer for MC Players shared her thoughts as well.
“It’s a celebration of youth, because it’s all young soldiers about to go off into the real world,” Nunan said. “It’s cruel and awful, and it’s a bit of a commentary on how we treat soldiers when they come back from war.”
While Dogfight is set during the brink of the Vietnam War and certainly focuses on the soldiers and the uncertainties they feel as they head off for deployment, there is also a romantic storyline. It stems from a bet the soldiers have with each other concerning their dates for a party. Whoever shows up with the ugliest girl wins, with this bet being called the ‘dogfight.’
Nunan explained how the Players plan on tackling this sensitive subject matter.
“There is a lot of misogyny in this play, but we want to reverse it in a way that’s more of a show of what the time was like,” Nunan said.
Despite this possibly controversial plot point, the Players vow to make this a production to remember. The play is set to take the stage in the Black Box Theater in April. The Black Box setting provides a more intimate experience for audience members and actors alike, and will allow both parties to connect with one another.
Nunan explained to The Quadrangle that creating these productions comes with a wave of emotions.
“Considering that we had a blow with the budget, we all still want to prove that we are capable and I think we can do that,” Nunan said. “There’s just always going to be nerves with proving you’re capable, but I have a lot of faith in everyone, and everyone’s really dedicated.”
Bailey shared feelings of excitement at the Players’ upcoming production.
“At the end of the day, we join together because our love of theatre is so strong,” Bailey wrote in an email to The Quadrangle. “I believe that with everything that people have been going through this semester and will continue to go through, it’s the least we can do to enjoy ourselves and put on a production we’re proud of.”
As the date of the spring musical comes closer there could certainly be a rise in nerves and expectations for the show, but for now the Players are excited to put on a great production and see some support from the Manhattan College community.
Madeline Braun, a stage manager for MC Players, has high hopes for the turnout during the musical’s showings.
“We do always want everybody to try to come see it if they can, of course, because we’re doing what we love,” Braun said. “We’re putting in so much time and effort in this and it may not be as well known as a musical as you might think, but I still think it’d be fun to come and see it just to experience something new and maybe get to hear some new music that you really like.”
MC Players has developed several ways of fundraising their budget back, such as a GoFundMe page which can be found on their Instagram, @playersmc, which also provides updates about upcoming events.