Rehearsal of for “Whom The Southern Belle Tolls.” @FOR.THE.SOUTHERN.BELLE/ INSTAGRAM
Zendrah Bonnick, Staff Writer
On Friday night, Nov. 21, in Hayden Hall, 110 members of the campus community were in attendance to experience a staged reading of the play “For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls” [FWTSBT], a parody written by Christopher Durang based on the 1944 play, The Glass Menagerie.
The MU production starred Olivia Bailey as Amanda, Malcolm Naughton as Lawrence, Grace Coutu as Ginny and Sam Wofford as Tom. The show was directed by Billy Walker, a senior communication major, who made his first directorial debut with the play.
During the show, the crowd displayed a variety of emotion, with laughs during comedic moments, and shock and sadness whenever the show would delve further into themes of familial tensions, conservative expectations and what it’s like to exist in a world where you don’t fit in.
The Quadrangle sat down with Walker, Coutu and Wofford about their performances and preparation for the show.
Walker discussed that he had prior knowledge of the source material that the show parodies, but it was his initial reading of the script of FWTSBT that led to his interest in this particular production.
“I just remember reading it the first time, and I thought it was funny on the first pages,” Walker said. “The decision maker was Sam’s character, Tom. He has a monologue…I was reading through and was like, this is funny page after page, then I got to his monologue, and that’s what really sold me on the show.”
When speaking to The Quadrangle, Wofford, a senior communication major, elaborated on Tom’s monologue, which stood out to him as a pivotal moment in understanding his character.
“I don’t think I really understood my character until I got to that monologue there at the end,” Wofford said.
The monologue was delivered in the latter half of the production, during which Wofford’s character expresses a desire to leave his home for a new life in Amsterdam.
“I think my monologue is what defines my character,” Wofford said. “I am the only one who you [the audience] know what happens to them after the play ends. So I found that really rewarding.”
During the play, Tom brings home the character Ginny, played by Coutu, a junior majoring in childhood education. She commented on her preparation for the role, as a character she views as similar to herself.
“Ginny is pretty much just me,” Coutu said. “She is described in the play as very friendly and very loud…I just upped it a lot. Usually with plays, you just overdramatize.”
ZENDRAH BONNICK / THE QUADRANGLE
Coutu also discussed in her interview her experience working with Walker as a director.
“It was really good,” Coutu said. “He understood that we had other stuff going on, and we understood that he had other stuff, and it was a very collaborative process.”
Walker later briefly discussed his future plans of working as a dramaturg, researcher for theatrical performance, in the university’s album class next semester, where he looks forward to researching The Stranger, by Billy Joel. After which, Walker made an additional statement on his gratitude for his opportunity to direct and the audience’s turnout.
“That was amazing, I would never have thought that in a million years I would be doing something like this,” Walker said. “I am so grateful for everyone who came and participated.”