Light on their feet, a flittering ensemble pranced around the Wallace Theatre in preparation for their upcoming spring production, “Pirated,” a musical based on Arthur Sullivan’s, “Pirates of Penzance,” premiering April 8.
The rehearsals opened with an invigorating group dance to initiate unity and lift spirits, later leading into the running of multiple scenes from the second act.
The troupe ran through songs and dances, staging and blocking, working to nail down the heart of each scene.
Bailey Figurate, freshman theatre major, who plays the role of Peter, said “Pirated” is a spoof of “Pirates of Penzance,” a production similar to the style of “Singin’ in the Rain.”
He said to prepare for this play, rehearsals require preparation in multiple areas.
“We go over a number of things over and over and really drill it in to make sure that everything is down and that everything is memorized and ready,” Figurate said. “It’s a really fun process all around.”
Figurate said the preparation for a role in ‘Pirated’ has challenged him to work in ways outside of what he has done previously.
“I don’t have to say any lines because I’m lip-syncing the whole time,” Figurate said. “I get to emphasize how my body is moving and give it 100 percent on physicality and make everything over the top. “
The play relies on both visual and vocal actors. Visual actors perform the movements of a character, while the vocal actor provides the dialogue.
Jacob Gomez, sophomore English and theater double major, and Mario Adurias, sophomore theater and film studies double major, both play the character of Samuel, however portray different aspects of the character.
“We started out with heavy vocal rehearsals, learning all of the music, and in the past couple of weeks, we’ve been putting it all on the stage while our set is being built,” Gomez said. “(Next), we’ll be able to work on matching up the voice with the mouthing of the words with the staging of the piece on the main stage.”
Adurias encouraged the public to see this adaption.
“(Audiences) can expect a lot of really great music, particularly in the first act and in the second act, we’re taking that really great music and kind of making it our own,” he said. “If you like good music and if you really like to laugh, then you’ll like ‘Pirated.’”
