As Homecoming approaches, so do annual Milligan events such as the fall theater production. This year, the theater department is performing “The Menaechmi,” a comedy by Plautus. The play revolves around the newly reunited twin brothers, Menaechmus I, played by sophomore Colby McKeehan, and Menaechmus II, played by freshman Drew Hawkins, and situations involving mistaken identity.
McKeehan, a Bible major, explained how preparing for the role of Menaechmus I has differed from his role last spring in “A Toby Show.”
“I’ve had to learn how to play a character who is much different than I am personality-wise. In past shows, my character has always been similar to who am. This time around, I’ve really had to work to make Menaechmus come alive on stage just as Toby did in the show last year.”
When deciding on what play to do, Richard Major, professor of theater and director of drama productions, explained he wanted a play that was entertaining as well as educational and that also had a fair amount of roles with equal line distribution.
The play in its original form lasts around two hours, but Major condensed the runtime down to about 60 minutes to help the pacing of the show.
The sets for “The Menaechmi” and all Milligan productions are made in-house by students under the creative direction of Pamela Adolphi, the theater’s technical director and scenic and lighting designer. Before Adolphi begins designing the set for a show, she talks to Major to understand his creative vision for the play and does research of her own.
“Because it’s Ancient Roman classic, I just started looking there,” Adolphi said.
Adolphi noticed the abundance of arches, columns and stone work and wanted to incorporate these elements into the set.
This marks Major’s thirty second year and almost 10 years in the Elizabeth Gregory Center. When Major first began in 1985, theater was only a minor and the theater was housed on the second floor of Derthick. When the college decided to renovate Derthick in 2001 and begin building the Gregory Center, the theater department had to come up with creative decisions until their new home was finished.
“What this meant was we did not have a dedicated place to do theater,” Major said.
A stage was temporarily built in SUB 7 and the theater department produced a few shows from there. During these years, they also collaborated with East Tennessee State University and Jonesborough Repertory Theatre.
“Then we felt like we needed to re-establish our presence here,” Major explained. “For a couple of years we did productions in Seeger.”
Major and the theater department had not done productions before this point in Seeger because of how heavily Seeger is used by different associations on campus. Major added he also did not want to impede on the music area’s space.
While in Seeger, the theater department was able to work with the music department and it was at this time that the musicals “Oklahoma” and “The Gospel According to Jazz” were performed.
“The Gospel According to Jazz” was performed in the 2006 fall semester and was written by former Milligan professor Rick Simerly. This show was also performed by Milligan students at the American College Theater Festival.
On Feb. 1, 2008, the Elizabeth Leitner Gregory Center opened and became the permanent home for Milligan’s theater department. The first play performed there was William Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors,” which was derived from Plautus’ “The Menaechmi.