Seven actors lie on beds in a dark University Theatre yelling “Goodnight!” to each other in European accents. Slowly the background screen changes from nighttime to early morning while Vera Lynn’s “We’ll Meet Again” blares over the speakers. A static whistle replaces Vera Lynn’s voice signaling the actors to get out of bed and start draping themselves in robes.
“Cut!” someone yells from the audience, ending the rehearsal for opening night of “Wrens.”
Debuting at 7:30 tonight, Anne McGravie’s “Wrens” tells the story of seven women in the Women’s Royal Navy Service living together in a tiny cabin during World War II.
The actors have been rehearsing six days a week since Jan. 3 working on accents, using the props properly and communicating nonverbally.
“It has been incredibly tough in some aspects,” director Suzanne Collins said. “There are five different accents among the seven women.”
The actors have been working with dialect coach Wendy Saver to nail down their individual accents of Scottish, Welsh, Irish and English.
The play deals with issues women face today, but in the context of 1950s wartime. But characters were not the only ones struggling — the actors had to overcome some of their own battles.
Since beginning at Ball State, senior acting major Kelsey Kramer has been in eight performances, immersing herself in the roles of eight different characters. Kramer said her portrayal of Chelsea in “Wrens” is the most difficult so far.
“I have a topless scene in the play, and it’s the first time I am doing nudity,” Kramer said. “I had to really dive into my character and realize that I’m not getting naked, Chelsea is.”
Kramer, however, didn’t have trouble with the accents and helped some of the other girls solidify theirs.
Her character has a very posh, Standard English accent similar to Maggie Smith’s in “Downton Abbey,” Kramer said.
“I use a trigger word or sentence that puts me in accent of my character, and helped the other girls develop a trigger,” Kramer said.
Sophomore acting major Karaline Feller portrays the young Scottish orphan Meg in “Wrens.”
Feller picked up on her Scottish accent quickly. Developing her strong, gritty accent was the first obstacle Feller faced while developing her character.
“The play is done in real time, and everything we do is so realistic and relatable and that is the hardest thing to convey to an audience,” Feller said. “I don’t want people to see me faking it on stage, I want them to see Meg, not Karaline.”
Feller also had to leave her experiences and beliefs at the door to portray her naïve character. A main focus in the play deals with abortion, which was illegal at the time, and her character doesn’t even know what an abortion is.
“I have to wipe myself clean of all my knowledge if I want the audience to believe me,” Feller said. “We all leave our own beliefs at the door, and it’s incredible because we are seven different women with strong opinions and none of that matters the moment we step on stage.”
What: “Wrens”
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: University Theatre
Cost: $7 for students, $12 for faculty and staff
