Washburn rural has had a new production in theatre this month and I decided to talk to some of the cast and get their background story on Frankenstein and how they got into theatre. First up I interviewed senior, Cade Nelson.

• What role did you play in Frankenstein?
  • “I played Victor Frankenstein in Frankenstein, the creator of the Creature. The play follows the Creature’s descent into evil because of the way it is treated, as well as Victor’s transformation from a standoffish scientist into a madman.”
• How and why did you get into theatre?
  • “I have been watching theater for as long as I have lived, but when I had a bad injury in 7th grade that stopped me from playing soccer. I began to act in community theater productions and never stopped.”
• What’s one of the most challenging things when performing on stage?
  • “The nature of good acting is that no matter how absurd the situations your character is placed in, everything conveyed within a scene must be grounded in emotional reality. This can be challenging when in situations that require extreme acting.”
• Have you ever gotten a role that you didn’t originally audition for? 
  • “Having auditioned for many shows over the years, I have been cast in many roles that I did not audition for, but my favorite role I didn’t audition for was Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing last fall. I had my heart set on another character, but as Dogberry I was able to stretch my comedic acting abilities, and steal the show in a way that I certainly could not have if cast in any other role.”
• Give me some of your favorite parts about playing in Frankenstein. 
  • “Being able to play around with Victor’s relationship with love was fascinating to me. For a man to have created a complex being with the capacity for love when he himself doesn’t have the capacity for love builds a very interesting base level to build upon in all of the scenes with both the Creature and with Victor’s fiance Elizabeth. Speaking frankly though, the best part about playing in Frankenstein was getting to work alongside our Creature, Miriam Smith, in a number of scenes. We worked hard enough together that we were in sync to a point that I have reached with very few other scene partners, and it was very gratifying to bring our performance to the audience.”
• What has your favorite performance been so far? Why?
  • “As much of a joy as Victor was to play, which was considerable, playing Wadsworth in Clue last spring was an experience unlike any other I have experienced as an actor. That role presented me with an intoxicating amount of comedic freedom, which seemed to pay off in the eyes of the audience. The response to my role and that show in general was unbelievable.”
• If you could change anything about your performance in Frankenstein what would it be?

“Having been in productions for years, I know that I will always feel that I could have gone a bit crazier, emoted a bit more accurately, done the quiet parts a bit more subtlely, but in terms of large sweeping issues I feel very satisfied with my performance and the show we put on!”