MARIA KOLB
STAFF WRITER
10/24/2022
The Imaginary Invalid is coming to campus! The show opens on Oct. 27 and runs through Oct. 30. The show will occur at 7:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. at the Remick Heritage Center.
This production is based on Miles Mallesons’s adaptation of the play by Moliere, who was writing for the theater in the 17 century.
“He poked fun at society a lot, and the idea of the play is about a guy named Argan, who is a hypochondriac, and he comes up with this great idea that if he marries his daughter off to a doctor, he’ll get free medical care,” said Director Scott Mackenzie.
Fortunately, at the time, Argan’s daughter fell in love with a young man that she wants to marry. The fun ensues when Argan finds a doctor, who was a dim-witted charlatan, for Angelica to marry off to.
“However, Argan’s clever housemaid, Toinette… manages to work things out so that the young lovers get to be together and Argon… gets his free medical care,” said Mackenzie.
It has taken 8 weeks for the production to happen under Director Scott Mackenzie. Terry Jachimiak II worked on the scene for sound and light design. Heather Brown worked on costume design for all the characters in the production.
It would not have been possible to make “The Imaginary Invalid” come alive without the efforts of the student actors and backstage crew.
Besides all the fun experiences the students had in this production, they also had a few challenges to overcome.
“As this is my first show in college, the college theater experience is something new to me…One reason it is so new and different from my previous acting experience is because I am understudying two roles. This requires me to be familiar with two characters’ lines and blocking, which is a bit more challenging,” said Caedmon Applegate (‘26).
“I can’t tell you how many times I accidentally said one character’s line when I was supposed to say the other’s during rehearsal,” said Applegate.
Another student actor also had a challenge to face that required extra determination in the making of the play.
“Before we had our first blocking rehearsal, I [fell ill with] covid and was taken out for 7 days… Luckily, I have been able to start my own character work, and I find myself learning something new about my character every time we rehearse. Even for someone without a lot of stage time, Dr. Diaforus is a big presence and I hope to do him justice as we approach the show dates,” said Wiley Delisa (’24).
During some moments in the rehearsals, student actors came up with better humor for their characters than what was originally planned. “I always like it when a student does something that I smile at or laugh at that I had never expected,” said Mackenzie.
Besides acting, there are many other aspects of the show that are needed in order to make it happen. This includes costume design production.
“My process is based on the type of performance, the director/choreographer, the budget, the labor pool–so much goes into it all… In this case, the director gave me two ideas to work with… From there, I went forward with research[ing], drawing, painting, pulling [and] procuring,” said the Costume Designer, Heather Brown.
“A single costume, for me that means one complete look, socks to nose ring, can take anywhere from four hours to one hundred hours to make.”
“The Imaginary Invalid,” a quick-paced classic comedy, is a production that took time and effort to create.
The admission fee is free to students, staff and those under eighteen years of age. For those who are adults, it is fifteen dollars. It is seven dollars for senior citizens.
Everyone is invited to enjoy the show. If anyone is interested in future productions, they can contact Scott Mackenzie for further information.
