The KSC Theatre and Dance (TAD) Department’s musical production of “The Bridges of Madison County” received praise from audiences, as well as a visiting theatre professor from Bridgewater State University (BSU), following a four-day run from Wednesday, Nov. 19, to Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Redfern Arts Center’s Main Theatre. BSU Associate Professor of Theater Emmett Buhmann attended the production on Friday, Nov. 21, as a respondent to the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) to offer critique to the cast and crew during a post-performance debriefing.
According to Director and Professor of Theatre and Dance Kirstin O’Brien, Buhmann praised the cast and crew for their dedication and talent.
“His response was beautiful, and he told me that the work [KSC] is doing with our students of concept, art and execution is unmatched, and he was so impressed by the hard work we have all put in,” O’Brien said.
Senior Kei Eaccarino, who played the role of Robert Kincaid, and Senior Caroline Catino, who played the role of Francesca Johnson, said that they were delighted and proud to hear praises from Buhmann.
“One thing [Buhmann] said was that he can clearly see how connected [O’Brien] is to her students, and how closely aligned we all are, and I think as a performer that helped with being able to bring the performance to life, because of the conversations we were able to have with our director and team,” Catino said. “We were able to have these discussions about details like what the character’s love language is, and things like that which helped to make it a collaborative experience.”
“Apparently [Buhmann] called [O’Brien] after leaving our show, on his way to New York to see two other shows, and told her how the community that the show embodied really stayed with him,” Eaccarino said.
“That is what we were going for, and the biggest thing was for the show to feel like a whole sense of community. He also talked about how intimate each character was, and how easy it was for the audience to be slipped into the story,” added Eaccarino.
Eaccarino and Catino said they were proud of the finished product as well as the work the cast and crew put in to make it happen and overcome challenges. As previously reported by The Equinox, Catino suffered a stress-induced vertebral fracture during the rehearsal process. Catino said that she was able to push through the physical challenges.
“It didn’t hinder me the way that I worried it would. During rehearsals, we took my injury into consideration and avoided doing things that would mess with that, like crazy lifts or anything like that,” Catino said. “It was scary at first to not know how it would affect the show, but everything we did was done in a way where I felt really safe.”
Junior Caitlyn Costa, who played the role of Marge, said that feeding off the audience’s energy helped to motivate her and her co-stars on stage.
“I do not know what it is about performing a show with an audience, but it just makes you more pumped and energetic, even on days when you’re tired and your energy is fading,” said Costa.
“My character was a bit of a comedic relief, and getting those laughs from the audience gives me energy and puts me in a good mood every time. It is just so much fun, and I am so happy to be here,” added Costa.
O’Brien praised the hard work of the entire cast and crew and said that she is very proud of their accomplishments.
“There are so many people, too many to count, who made this show possible. I want to thank everybody because they made my job so much easier, and I showed up to work thankful every single day,” said O’Brien.
Sophomore Alessandra Mitchell attended the show and said she enjoyed the music and the performance.
“I was really impressed by what all my fellow classmates put on, and honestly it made me wish that I had auditioned,” Mitchell said.
Junior Cooper Prophet and Senior Dylan Marsh are working with Catino on a Capstone student film and attended the production to support their colleague.
“We came out to support her and see all the hard work she put into this. We did not expect it to be this crazy, and we had no idea what a talented singer [Catino] is,” said Prophet.
“The performance was absolutely incredible, and stage construction was really unbelievable. I think that seeing these characters time travel to this nineteen-sixties aesthetic was really impressive, and I was blown away,” said Marsh. “I just want to go on record and say that Caroline Catino is the greatest actress of our generation.”
Ryan Pacheco can be contacted at
rpacheco@kscequinox.com
