Wade Manns – The Corsair
The Pensacola Little Theater is presenting the production of Clare Booth Luce’s play “The Women,” a comedy of manners set in the 1930s about the interactions and sometimes brutal gossiping habits of women in different social classes. The production stars Ashley Sapp and Victoria Cruz, both students at PJC, among many others including child actresses who perform younger roles. The play is directed by Tori LaChapelle, who began in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. before coming down here.
Sapp, who plays the role of Jane, a friend of Mary, the protagonist, has trained with Rodney Whatley of PJC’s Theatre Department for the past year.
“He has really helped develop my confidence, which is something that is so important when you’re on the stage….to be able to work with other people and to just be fine [in front of an audience]…Rodney is clearly more qualified than I am when it comes to theatre knowledge and experience, yet I never feel inferior. He has a wonderful ability to challenge his students as well as pull out the best in them, and I have been extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to be mentored by him,” Sapp said.
Sapp also teaches and directs children, and takes great pride when she helps them to exceed their own expectations in their performances.
Cruz, who plays Nancy, another friend of Mary, trained under Kevin Kern, Celeste Evans and Charles Houghton at UWF before coming recently to PJC to begin general studies; she will start her theatre classes in the fall. Cruz, like Sapp, became interested in public performance at a very young age; her current training has helped her become proficient in improvisation exercises with her fellow actresses.
This is Cruz’s first appearance at PLT; she previously did “Watermelon Boats” and “Naomi in the Living Room” at UWF. She is extremely open and animated; she finds theater to be very challenging, the greatest challenge of her life.
“[I] think my success at doing it is [due to] adrenaline to do more. I feel extremely alive when [I’m on] stage, more so than in normal [everyday] life,” Cruz said.
LaChapelle started in the world of theatre when she was very young, attending a magnet high school with an intensive program when she was older. She has insight into what it takes to be a theatre director: not only must she direct the actors, but she must be involved on many levels of the production, including costuming, set design, lighting and sound.
She must also conduct research into the background of the writer of the play, including details which may help put the behaviors and actions of the characters into perspective for the actors.
“I am intrigued by the play because the characters are so dynamic….in a lot of art forms, women are usually sex objects, they are flat characters, they have no story arc….they’re not usually meaty things,” LaChapelle said.
“The Women” is LaChapelle’s first production at PLT; she also acted in “Night of the Iguana” at PJC. She has brought a minimalist set design philosophy to the production, a courageous move in the face of more extravagant productions; sets consist of a few pieces of furniture, no more.
“The idea is that it’s an art gallery, and these womens’ lives are on display. [You will see] the costumes we’re trying to use to help paint pictures,” LaChapelle said.
The aristocratic women are in muted, darker tones, being in their own world, while the lower-class women are dressed brightly, for they are the real world.
“It’ll definitely be an interesting picture, when it’s on stage,” LaChapelle said.
Tickets for “The Women” are available now through the box office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., in person or by phone at 432-2042.
Want To Go?
Performances are Jan. 29-31, Feb. 4-7 at the Cultural Center Downtown. Thurs-Sat. 7:30, Sun. 2:30. $10-$25 per person. Tickets half price on Feb. 4.