Written by Sabrina Rogers
Hey Maroons! Theater Roanoke College is proud to present “Stupid F***ing Bird” by Aaron Posner this spring! This show is about a young director who is confronted with the challenges from her mother’s generation, a young actress who pines after a renowned artist, and unrequited love between characters. Throughout it all, love, art, and growing up is confronted. This show is a modern reimagining of “The Seagull” by Anton Chekhov.
Considering this exciting news, our student reporter had the opportunity to ask some of her cast mates (she is in the show playing Mash by the way!) about the process and development of the show!
Here we have Cassie Winfield (27’) playing Dev:
Q: What has been the most challenging part about playing your character?
A: “Finding the balance between trying to be positive externally but hurting internally and portraying that to the audience.”
Q: What has been the most surprising thing you found out about your character as it inches closer to the performance?
A: “My character is very observant, and it has been interesting to see where I can implement that knowledge in each scene.”
Q: What message do you want or hope the audience will leave with?
A: “Everybody has things they’re dealing with, and it’s important to let them know you’ll be there for them even if you don’t completely understand what’s going on. No one likes feeling alone and misunderstood.”
Q: What is your favorite line in the show (doesn’t have to be yours!)
A: “A tie between: “And then along comes that…gangly, clueless weasel-headed eunuch… “My love for Mash hurts me. Do you understand that? I long for her. I feel it in my thighs.”
Next up is Michaela Mogavero (27’) who plays Nina.
Q: What has been the most challenging part about playing your character?
A: “Finding the balance between how shy she normally is to how bold she becomes. Nina takes a lot of steps in the wrong direction that get her out of her shell, and it’s a challenge to find where she doubts herself versus where she is so sure she knows that she’s past the point of no return. There are points of each in almost every scene, except for the performance.”
Q: What is a song that you feel encapsulates your character?
A: “It’s a toss-up between champagne problems by Taylor Swift and Love of my Life by Harry Styles.”
Q: What has been the most surprising thing you found out about your character as it inches closer to the performance?
A: “I find that Nina is a lot smarter than she lets on. She references Hamlet, has monologues memorized, has studied as much as she can to try and be an actress, but she lets people believe she doesn’t know who Rita Hayworth is even though she loves Old Hollywood, she pretends that everything she hears is brand new when she’s undoubtedly heard some of it. She might be naive, but she’s not stupid (and we both know that).”
Q: What message do you want or hope the audience will leave with?
A: “I hope the audience can glean a cautionary tale from Nina when it comes to taking your life into your own hands; some decisions should not be made on a whim, and I think it’s important for people to take that message with them. Hope to change their lives, but wisdom to know when a jump takes them too far down.”
Again, please go and support these actors! They worked incredibly hard and would love to see the audience filled each night! The performances are April 11th-13th in Olin Theater at 7:30 each night. Tickets are free for RC students, staff, and faculty! Tickets are $10 for general admission, or $5 for seniors/students. Tickets are available by calling 540-375-2333 or by emailing boxoffice@roanoke.edu.
