The Fine and Performing Arts Department will present the Stephen Sondheim musical “Company” in Robeson Auditorium March 28, 2019. Directed by John Fleming, the production will feature 10 Central State students.
“I am so grateful to be a part of this play,” student Aaron Miles said. “Being a member of the choir alone was not expressive enough for me, and this gives me a window.”
Company was first produced on Broadway in 1970. Its plot revolves around Robert, a single man unable to maintain a relationship, his three girlfriends, and five married couples. It was among the first musicals to deal with adult themes and relationships.
“This year’s production is generally about the different characters finding love and overcoming obstacles,” Adjunct Professor Tony Dallas said.
Students have been rehearsing for weeks trying to master Sondheim’s complex music and lyrics. “Even though rehearsals are tiring, I love the people I act beside,” actress Symone Keys said.
This year’s spring production comes at an interesting time for the drama program. A Title III grant that has funded the theatre arts program is coming to an end, and the U.S. Department of Education is not renewing it. “Title III is still being funded, just not the part that included the theatre arts program,” Fleming said. “We cannot reapply.”
Fleming said the program will lose its grant funding in 2020. “I am expecting to do a drama in the fall of 2019. I don’t know at this juncture what will happen after that,” Fleming said.
Student actors say that the funding issue shouldn’t keep students from joining the theatre program. “Do not be afraid to sign up for next year’s play,” actor Brandon Stivers said.