When director Julia Oppenheim first decided to stage “Let The Right One In,” she knew it would pose a challenge. The play, featuring a cast of only nine, requires actors to take on multiple roles, learn complex fight sequences and complete frequent scene changes.
Oppenheim’s goal was to incorporate ensemble movement and strong physical choices. During auditions, she took note of actors and actresses who were comfortable and confident moving around the stage, even requiring those auditioning for Eli to climb a ladder to confirm that they did not have a fear of heights—as the role requires climbing trees on stage.
“We looked for students who weren’t afraid to make bold choices,” Oppenheim said.
Originally a novel published in 2004, “Let The Right One In” was adapted into a Scottish play in 2013. Rehearsals began in early October, with shows in the black box on Jan. 28, 29 and 30. The play, which is extremely technical and dynamic, includes gory scenes, quick transitions and complex fight sequences, learned with the help of freelance artist Skylar Sinclair.
Sophomore Vivian Connelly plays Eli, an ancient vampire trapped in the body of a young girl. She notes that producing the play in the black box presents challenges when staging realistically violent scenes.
“In the Lowe Theatre, your acting has to be big because of the large stage and house,” Connelly said. “Black box acting feels more real because the smaller audience and space means you have to use every muscle of your face to tell the story.”
Connelly enjoys dealing with more dramatic, darker themes often highlighted by the winter play.
“On the surface, it’s a creepy vampire show, but it’s beautiful because—when you really look into it—it’s about questioning innocence,” Connelly said.
Senior Quentin Nicholson plays Oskar, a bullied young boy who finds an unlikely friend in Eli. When embodying the character, Nicholson tries to focus on looking inward to place himself in Oskar’s mindset.
“I don’t think people recognize just how important character-building is,” Nicholson said. “They think theatre is just pure memorization and reading lines, but that’s not it—you have to apply your character to real life.”
With this winter play, he hopes to allow the audience to relate to both the loneliness Oskar feels and highlight how he finds companionship in the most unlikely of places.
“Acting is incredibly important,” Nicholson said. “To be able to produce a show and create that feeling in the audience is something very beautiful.”
