Have you ever wondered what it was like to live in Venice, Italy during the 18th century? Boats are all the rage, the social dynamics are changing, and corsets are the fashion of the time.
Well that’s exactly what the upcoming Gustavus production of The New House showcases, which can be seen December 13 though December 15, 2024, in Anderson Theater. Tickets can be purchased at https://gustavustickets.universitytickets.com/.
It stars two families, one living in the upstairs apartment, and the other in the downstairs apartment. More focus is on the the downstairs family, which consists of a brother who is broke because he can’t stop giving his wife gifts, and a sister who longs to marry the man of her dreams. Except she can’t because she doesn’t have a dowry.
The upstairs family is made up of two sisters, who love gossip more than anything else. While these families may be quite different, they are part of the same social class. They have the “vibe of the upper class, and the money of the lower class,” says Rebekah Moll ’27, who is playing one of the sisters, Checca. The other upstairs sister is named Rosina and is played by Julia Anderson ’27. Both Rebekah and Julia are sophomores, and are very excited to be part of the period piece comedy that is The New House.
Rebekah is a Theater and Classical Language double major, who is pretty new to the theater scene. She came to Gustavus with a plan to study Latin and go on to be a professor, but discovered a love for theater. “I just kinda kept doing theater classes, I was like I have too many credits I might as well get a theater major.” Her first show here was “Metamorphoses” by Ovid, which Gustavus did in 2023, this led her to fall into the Theater major “by accident.” But regardless of “Metamorphoses” being Rebekah’s first play, it’s not her favorite. That would be Peter and the StarCatcher, which is a prequel to the story of Peter Pan. This play was a “really fun experience” for her and only ranks above Our Town. Since joining the Theater Department her plans for the future have become a little uncertain, rather than being a professor of classical languages she’s now considering careers that involves acting and the world of theater. Specifically, motion capture for video games, or directing. “I really love directing, it is something I am hoping to get into here at Gustavus” she says.
Julia is an English and Theater double major. As opposed to Rebekah, Julia has always had a love for theater, starting as early as five years old, but even she was not sure about majoring in Theater at Gustavus. Julia also ended up just taking a bunch of theater classes and thought “oh shoot it’s got its grips on me, so I might as well major in theater.” Her first show was also “Metamorphoses,” but is also not her favorite, which is Shakespear’s, Cymbeline. “Shakespear is like my favorite thing in the world,” says Julia so this was a pretty easy answer. She is also pretty uncertain about what she wants to do after Gustavus, “If I could continue doing theater I would,” she says but it is often hard to get a reliable career in theater. In the end she knows she “just likes telling stories” and hopes to do something with that, whether it be writing, performing, or something completely different.
Both Julia and Rebekah agree that they have truly found a community within the Theater Department, “we all truly do care about each other,” says Rebekah. One of the main reasons this is true is “you can be a part of the community without being a major or a minor,” says Julia, who spoke about how little drama is present in the Theater Department. “We just want everyone to be there,” says Rebekah.
Both sisters would love for you to come see them in Gustavus’s production of The New House, and want you to know that “If you cry because of the new house we hope it’s from laughter, because otherwise we are doing something really wrong.”