TWU’s newest theater production, “LoveSong” tells the emotional story of a married couple and the effects love and aging has had on their journey through life.
Directed by Dr. Noah Lelek and written by Abi Morgan, the performance features only four actors depicting young and old versions of Maggie and Billy who twine together through time to create a moving performance. To learn more about the upcoming play, we sat down with the cast and had them answer a few of our questions.
Q: The telling of Maggie and Billy’s story is aided using choreography. How does the use of dance enhance the understanding of their story?
A: Nolan Chapa, a senior Drama major playing the younger Billy said: “That’s probably the way that we interact with the older couple the most. It’s hard to imagine this play without those movement pieces. I feel like that’s really what ties it all together. It’s almost dreamlike in a way. The way that they are able to reflect on portions of their lives. It’s usually moving from scene to scene movement, pieces come in and it’s like a punctuation mark on those memories and how they are affecting the older couple.
Q: Do you think having both the young and old Billy and Maggie on the stage at the same time adds clarity to the story?
A: Britnee Schoville a junior Drama major who plays the young Maggie explained: “Yeah, it’s their story of them living their life. And instead of them just talking about ‘Hey, remember that one time we fought,’ you get to see them that time they fought.”
A: Riley Jo Payne a senior Drama major playing the elder Maggie said: “I think something really cool is the way Noah is directing it. He’s taken a lot of inspiration from the original production so as the older couple we get to watch ourselves, we get to come on stage and remember moments. So the audience gets to see us visually younger and they get to us seeing ourselves younger and so I think that’s really interesting and that adds a layer to the context of what you’re seeing.
Q: What has been the hardest scene to preform?
A: Schoville said: “Most of the scene just have Maragaret and William and then Billy and Maggie, they don’t really all have scenes together. And then there’s one scene where they say some lines and then we say some lines and it’s just intertwining towards the end and that makes it really hard.”
“LoveSong” will be performed at TWU’s RedBud Theatre. Feb. 22-26.
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