Life is full of twists and turns, and Violet Karl's life has had some interesting ones. After being terribly scarred from a horrible accident, Violet sets out on a mission to find healing and, in the process, comes across some fascinating people. Junior musical theatre major Bridget Gillenwater brings the title character to life in the musical "Violet."
"She has this determination to get healed and meet these new people. She can be stubborn and she's a little sassy, but she's great," Gillenwater said.
Director Beth Turcotte is excited about the show because of its musical styles and the young ensemble cast.
"Although I've loved every production for various reasons, this particular ensemble with this particular story has been a really remarkable journey for me too. It's because of the talent that has been brought together. It's been exciting," she said.
"Violet" opens today in the University Theatre at 7:30 p.m and runs until Saturday. A matinee performance on Sunday will start at 2:30 p.m. The show will also be onstage Oct. 1-4 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for the general public and $9 for students and have a $.50 processing fee. They are available at the University Theatre box office. Freshmen may see the show for free, but need to pick up a voucher. Students will be passing them out at the Scramble Light between 11am and 3pm this week.
Like many of the musicals staged in the University Theatre, "Violet" offers students a way to learn while enjoying a show.
"It's about interracial relationships and racial tensions. It's folded in to this beautiful little story about this one young woman's pilgrimage to healing," Turcotte said.
Brandon Arnold, a junior musical theatre major, plays Flick, an African-American soldier, in the musical and agrees with Turcotte.
"We all have our scars. That's the message we're trying to tell. Come and grow and learn and enjoy art," he said.
Despite only working on the show for a little over a month, Gillenwater and the rest of the cast have become friends.
"Everyone in the cast has come really, really close and you really rely on all these other people to help you to tell the story," Gillenwater said.
Arnold agrees with Gillenwater and says that without all of the cast and crew the show would not go on.
"It's like we're one big team. Not just the actors, but the crew and everybody comes together to tell the story. It's fun," he said.
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