This Monday, EUTCo very kindly invited Her Campus for some drinks, nibbles and a sneak preview of their very exciting upcoming show August: Osage County.
For all of you know that don’t already know, the Pulitzer winning play is a dark comedy set in the Deep South examining the intricate interactions of a dysfunctional American family following the disappearance of head of the family Beverley Weston. For a taster of what to expect take a look at this trailer:
We were treated to three scenes from Act 2 of the show and can guarantee if you go and see it you will not be disappointed. The cast have been preparing for the show for four months and every single action has been specially crafted to highlight the fraught relationships within the family.
We caught up with Lucy Hirst and Jamie Manton the directors of the play and it was clear that they had real passion for the production. Their investment in the play was evident as they revealed they had both played the characters of Bill and Barbara Fordham prior to directing the play. We asked them whether having previous knowledge of the play made it more difficult to cast and Jamie Manton said he was “worried about finding the perfect actress to play Violet (as you can see from the play she is quite a nuanced character) but then Hannah Lawrence walked in and she was perfect!” Her Campus has to agree that every single cast member embodies their roles entirely.
Not only will the acting in the show impress, but the team have made ambitious visual plans for the production. As Lucy Hirst told us the EUTCo have “invested more money than ever before” to ensure that the set is top notch. The cast are going to play with different levels, and we cannot wait to see this already slick performance in full swing on the big stage.
August: Osage County delicately portrays a family on the brink of collapse but despite extreme underlying tension and vastly different methods of dealing with their situation, the close bond between the characters is poignantly obvious. Hannah as the “drug addled matriarch” leads a cast of strong females (and males of course) in what has all the markings of an authentic and emotionally stirring play.
The play will be running from Wednesday 5th February- Saturday 8th February at our very own Northcott Theatre. Tickets are £8 for students and you can buy them here!