Young LDS Actors Thrive at Shakespearean Festival
By Laurie Williams Sowby

CEDAR CITY, Utah — The play may be thing for young LDS cast members of the Utah Shakespearean Festival’s 2007 summer season, but friends with similar values and the opportunity to work in an uplifting environment make the thing even better.

So say Tony Carter and Tiffani Ann Mills, two of four acting interns who landed a spot in the cast of the USF’s productions on their Southern Utah University campus.

Tony, at 19 the youngest member of the cast (which comes from all over the United States), just finished his freshman year at SUU. His family lives in Las Vegas, and he plans to be on a mission this fall. Besides being in the ensembles of "King Lear" and "Coriolanus," he has what he considers the perfect role as Barnaby Tucker in Thornton Wilder’s "The Matchmaker."

Tony Carter's (left) main role in the Utah Shakespearean Festival is as Barnaby Tucker, shown here with Eric Van Tielen as Corenelius Hackl, in "The Matchmaker." (Photo by Karl Hugh, Utah Shakespearean Festival)

"I have so much fun in this show," he says. "I get to use my boundless energy" as one of the young, inexperienced suitors. As the basis for the musical "Hello, Dolly!" the stage play "is a gem of a show," he adds. "There’s so much depth and heart to all the roles."

Tiffani, a California native who graduated from Lehi High School in Utah, is a 23-year-old senior who looks forward to continuing an acting career that will "help people forget their problems and just be entertained for an hour or two."

Tiffani Ann Mills rests near the King Lear statue at the Utah Shakespearean Festival, where she is a summer intern playing several roles. (Photo by Laurie Williams Sowby)

She’s been working at that for the past few years as the principal performer in Off the Cuff, an improvisational comedy troupe. Like Tony, she’d love to perform in musicals on Broadway, but she’d also enjoy the improv scene in Chicago.

Although Tiffani has various roles in "Coriolanus," a major part of her contract is as understudy in "The Matchmaker" — for Leslie Brott as Dolly Levi, and for Carole Healey as Mrs. Van Huysen. She may never see time in front of the audience, but she’s fully prepared after hours and hours of rehearsal to step into a role if the need arises.

For these young actors, their "summer job" means working six days a week — and that’s after two months of daily 8- to 10-hour of rehearsals. The USF is "dark" on Sundays, which allows Tiffani and Tony to attend single student wards.

Latter-day Saints are few, yet there’s a "family feeling" among the USF company, says Tony. He appreciates the "positive environment" he works in, where he doesn’t "have to worry about compromising myself."

Tiffini, who has had a bit more experience in theater, says, "I’m a strong believer in studying the play before the audition," to make sure she knows its content and can make an informed choice.
"I’ve had a good experience with all of it," she says. "People know I don’t smoke, drink, or party, and they respect that."

The Utah Shakespearean Festival opened its 46th season on June 21, and all six productions are now running in repertory through Sept. 1. With matinees at 2 and evening performances at 8 from Tuesday through Saturday, it’s possible to see all six productions in one trip.

The Randall L. Jones Theatre has three modern productions being performed on its indoor stage this summer. Three plays by Shakespeare play Tuesday-Saturday on the traditional Adams Memorial stage. (Photo by Laurie Williams Sowby)

In the Adams Memorial Theater, an outdoor structure built to resemble Shakespeare's Globe, are "King Lear," "Coriolanus" and "Twelfth Night." Although Shakespearean plays are the core of the festival, other playwrights have been added to the repertoire, with three additional productions staged in the Randall L. Jones Theatre across the street. This summer’s are "The Matchmaker," "George Bernard Shaw’s "Candida," and the premiere of a musical version of "Lend Me a Tenor."

Beyond plays, the event also offers lectures, play orientations, backstage tours, a costume exhibit, and pre-show fun Elizabethan style in the Greenshow.

For more information on the festival’s schedule or to buy tickets or check out attractions and accommodations in the local Cedar City area, see www.bard.org or call 1-465-LETSPLAY.