The theater department at Gustavus Adolphus College has been hard at work putting together their production of William Shakespeare’s Cymbeline. Rehearsed almost exclusively during the month of January, the cast worked Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. to bring this all together, with director Matthew Trucano and cast member Timothy Snyder ‘27 sitting down to share about their experiences with this play.
Cymbeline, often regarded as a combination of all of Shakespeare’s best plots, is certainly not an easy play to take on, especially with only a month to do it, yet Gustavus freshman Timothy Snyder ‘27 and the rest of his cast mates came together to create an incredible performance.
Patrons of Patrick’s, a pub here in Saint Peter, were treated to a first look of the play, with the cast having the opportunity to go down and perform. The cast was wearing costumes curated from their own wardrobes and only had one hour of rehearsal in the space. The actors had free reign, making this performance more interactive, just as Shakespeare’s works were meant to be, inspired by the core ideas of the Backroom Shakespeare Initiative.
Timothy Snyder ‘27 touched on the importance of this performance stating “I felt like my performance came alive that night, that there was something about there being an audience that helped me to communicate that.” This was echoed by director Matt Trucano, who said “whenever you put something in front of the audience, it completes the cycle by revealing to the actors what is legible and what needs to become more specific in their performances.”
With such a positive response under their belt, the cast is now preparing for their performances held at Gustavus Adolphus College. The production itself is a feat to behold, but one of the most important aspects to come out of this is the community that has been cultivated here at Gustavus.
Snyder ‘27, when reflecting on his experience, said that “it’s the cast as a whole that lets each member shine. We all help and rely on each other, and getting to know all of them has been so great, which made the process of building the show so much better.”
The cast all come from different backgrounds and areas of study, ranging from physics majors to computer science and theater double majors, which Timothy Snyder ‘27 is looking to become. And yet, they found a common love in Shakespeare, as is one of the benefits of having a liberal arts education like the one offered here at Gustavus Adolphus College.
This is the beauty of theater at a liberal arts college, as, according to Matt Trucano, “theater is the lab of liberal arts […] we are all studying these things and in theater we get to put the ideas into minds.”
The theater community here at Gustavus Adolphus College is one that truly stands out as an emblem for what it means to be a part of something bigger, and shows the benefits of collaboration with others. Whether it be performance of modern musicals or reciting Shakespeare, they continue to impress audiences while building their own sort of family.
Cymbeline performances will be held in Anderson Theatre, from February 15 to February 18. The performance will go from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday February 15, Friday February 16, and Saturday February 17, along with a matinee from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday February 18. Tickets are available at https://gustavustickets.universitytickets.com/
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