A new mainstage production, “12 Ophelias (A Play with Broken Songs),” opens March 27 and runs through March 30 at the Pittsburgh Playhouse this week. The play is written by Caridad Svich and directed by April Daras, associate professor and director of contemporary theatre making. “12 Ophelias” reimagines Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” in a new way, focusing on the character of Ophelia changing the setting in a Southern Appalachian environment.
The production includes a live band whose members play throughout the show using many different instruments, such as the mandolin, banjo, fiddle and more. The band also uses a slide whistle and a modified bell nicknamed the “Freaky Creep,” which is a small bobblehead-like figure filled with bells that adds a strange sound during the entrance and exit of characters.
Colin Villacorte, a senior acting major involved with the show, said the instrument is odd but fits the show perfectly.
“It’s the creepiest bell, but in the context of the show, it’s really funny and whimsical,” Villacorte said. “But it’s so creepy looking.”
When creating the show’s sound, Villacorte and Marshall Benton, a sophomore musical theater major, said the process was a collaborative. Marshall said the process involved figuring out what the musical should sound like while also keeping the actors in the loop with the ideas presented.
In addition to the live music, the production also features a pre-show performance by the show band, replacing the traditional music with “bluegrass-inspired” covers of popular songs. A group song was also added to the end of the show to involve both the cast and the audience.
“April wanted the ending to involve everyone in the room, so we added a group song,” Villacorte said.
Now, rehearsals for the production have been ongoing for five weeks, including tech week. Susie Iannitelli, a senior acting major who plays Mina, said it has been a busy but amazing experience.
“It is wild,” Iannitelli said. “I’m very lucky that my senior year load is not as heavy as it is the other years.”
She took more classes in previous years to lighten her future schedule.
The show is also a milestone for some cast and crew members. For Iannitelli, it marks her first time on stage in a mainstage production after previously understudying in “Arcadia” last semester.
Olivia Mohnkern, a sophomore theater production major with a focus in stage management, serves as an assistant stage manager on the show.
“This cast has great energy, and it’s been a good experience getting to see everything come together,” Mohnkern said.
For Mohnkern, who is no stranger to mainstage productions, this marks her third time working backstage. She previously has worked on “Closer Than Ever” and “Arcadia” and said returning to work with familiar team members helped make the process smoother.
She said she was happy to work with staff she worked with before, like Madison Koropchak, a senior theater production major with a focus in stage management.
Mohnkern said she’s looking forward to the tech process and seeing how the various elements such as lighting, sound, the set and music, come together in the final run.
“12 Ophelias” is yet another fully student-produced and student-run show in the Playhouse, taking place in the Highmark Theatre. Tickets are available through the box office or online and are free to all Point Park students.
