The Three Sisters: Alison (standing), Taylor (sitting on chair), and Heather (sitting on the floor).
Hailley: So tell me briefly about Three Sisters.
Alison: Three Sisters was written by Anton Chekhov in the early twentieth century in Russian. It is a play about three sister who are part of the military aristocracy and they have this big house in this little town far away from Moscow, which is their home town. And the entire play is them wanting to go back to Moscow and they never do. Their brother, Andre, marries a women whose name is Natasha and she takes over the house and kicks them all out. Olga is the eldest sister and a schoolteacher. She eventually becomes the headmistress, which she never wanted to do. Masha, the middle sister, has an affair with a solider and he has to eventually leave. And Irina, the youngest sister, almost marries someone but he is killed. So the play ends with their lives being very tragic and the sister-in-law, who they hate, gets everything.
Hailley: How did you get involved with Three Sisters?
Alison: There were tryouts in September and I wasn't going to tryout but decided "Eh, I'm not going to make it so let's go and see what tryouts are like at Coe." And then I ended up making it as one of the three sisters and I was like, "Well that was unexpected." And then I didn't really have a life anymore... (chuckles)
Hailley: (Laughs) Well, that goes really well with my next question: What was the time commitment?
Alison: The time commitment is pretty intense. But Three Sisters is a much bigger show then they've really done at Coe in the past. It's a very long show, it's three hours and most shows are like an hour and a half so that's twice the time commitment there. Then it was rehearsals five days a week for three hours, generally Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. But when that didn't end up happening, we added practices randomly and then before Thanksgiving we tacked on some extra practices. Once we got back, we had two weeks of running the full show so I've basically spent the last month in Dows*. For example, tonight (Wednesday) we have a dress run so I have to be there at 6:30 PM and I'll probably leave at 11:30 PM.
*Note: Dows in where our stage and Theater department are located.
Hailley: So how did you balance the school and the play?
Alison: Not much sleep (laughs). Well on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I have class from nine to ten then an hour break, then class from eleven to one and then an hour break and then I have class and work from two to five. Break from five to seven and then rehearsal. So I have about four hours in there to get all my work done. So I did a lot of work on Tuesdays and Thursdays because those are my semi-free days and then I'd also do my readings for history right after I got back from class. And then when I was working in the Writing Center, I'd do my Asian Literature readings. And I'd just try to squeeze in things and tried to work ahead if I had any extra time.
Hailley: So did you come up with any new strategies in regards to time management and or keeping yourself sane?
Alison: Well I went to a high school that had a modular schedule which is a lot like the college schedule of random blocks of open time. So that really helped me and also before Three Sisters, I found that generally from seven to ten at night was my best work time, which was now when I had practice. So, I had to change all of my study time and I would do a lot of going to the library and locking myself in a room and not letting myself out until I finished what I had to do. And then there was also the futon in my room became my study area and I'd have all my crap everywhere. But also, I would have to go to the library sometimes because I have a roommate and she'd be in there and she would be doing things and I just need quiet. And post-its, I did a lot of color coding. (Chuckles at herself)
Hailley: It's all good. So, what was the best parts of being involved with Three Sisters?
Alison: I got to meet a lot of upperclassmen. There were two other freshman in the show; I'm the only freshman with a speaking role and juniors and seniors kind of permeate the show. I've gotten to meet a lot of people that way; I've made some really great friends. And it also helped introduce me to the school better than if I hadn't been in it. Because I know a lot of fast ways to do things and just where to go and "You don't actually have to do this, just go in here..." sort of things. The cast itself has been the best thing.
Hailley: So kind of going along with my last question, what's been the most rewarding part of being a part of Three Sisters?
Alison: Being able to actually put on a performance because we've had a little bit of a rough time getting it together. But we managed to get it together and we bonded so tightly and well as a cast that it was good.
Hailley: What were the most challenging aspects?
Alison: The amount of time needed was really intense.
Hailley: Did you expect that amount of time commitment going into it or was it unexpected?
Alison: No, I was definitely caught unaware because I was use to the time commitment of my high school shows which is maybe two, two and a half hours a day. And four days a week with maybe a practice on Saturday if it was a particularly intense show.
Hailley: Did you like Three Sisters going for two weekends? Had you done performances for two weekends before?
Alison: In high school, it was never two weekends so that's been different. I don't know if I like it yet because I haven't done it; it's the second week right now. Because I mean, I'm kind of glad because we've worked so hard and for so long on this show that having two weekends to do it is nice. But at the same time, it would be nice to have this week off before finals. It really would be nice. That's another challenging aspect: because this is the first show in Coe history to be performed after Thanksgiving break. Other shows before Three Sisters go up the first two weeks before Thanksgiving break and then once break hits, we're done. And then you have December to catch up on work. But we don't have that now. So we literally have our final show Saturday, strike on Sunday, last day of classes Monday, Reading Day Tuesday, final exams begin on Wednesday.
Hailley: So that's all really quick right at the end. Alison I'm going to switch up topics a bit, what's up next for your acting career?
Alison: I'm in Twilight!
Hailley: What's that one about?
Alison: It's about the Rodney King beatings in 1992. It's a collection of monologues that were originally done by one woman and we've split it up with thirteen people. I'm playing a Korean women, a Southern man, and an anonymous juror, middle class American man. So I don't know where that's going but I'm excited nevertheless.
Hailley: And when does that show start?
Alison: It starts in February and then it goes up in April.
Hailley: This one is probably much smaller than Three Sisters?
Alison: Yes, it's smaller in scale in people, in costumes and set, and in time commitment. Because I'm only doing three monologues and I'm never in a scene with another person. So, there is a lot of individual work, which is going to be a little scary but it's going to be a lot less time commitment. Because I guess what we are going to be doing is a lot of movement work which Dennis (Barnett) is going to have to teach those of us who weren't in his movement class this semester. We'll do that for a little while and then we'll sort of have to split off and work on our monologues by ourselves because you can work on a monologue and get feedback but you can't really sit there and be like, "Let me act with you," because that doesn't work.
Hailley: So then how many shows a year does Coe do?
Alison: There are usually three main stages but this year there were four this year: Frauen Im Schatten (Women in the Shadow), Three Sisters, Copenhagen, and Twilight. Copenhagen is being put on by two professors: Dennis Barnett and Doc (Steve) Feller and Doc Feller's wife. Oh and for the record, Twilight is not about vampires.
Hailley: Well, thank you Alison, you've been more informative and I can't wait to see the show tomorrow (Thursday!).
For more information on the upcoming shows at Coe, visit the Theater Department link:
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