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KANSAN.COM
ART & CULTURE
7
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University Theatre's "Little Women" creates connection between director and lead actor
▶ SAMANTHA SEXTON @Sambiscuit
week after University Theatre alumni perform a variety show on April 1, another alumna, Amy Corcoran, will return to campus to direct University Theatre's latest production,"Little Women," which opens April 8.
Corcoran said coming back to direct "Little Women" has been an act of providence, having found her place in the theater world after graduating and given that one of her favorite mentors had directed the musical on Broadway not too long ago.
"This is just a very bizarre puzzle that I've
found myself in, but I wouldn't have asked it to be any different," Corcoran said. "Plus I really love the play."
While she was a student, Corcoran, a psychology major, never thought about choosing to study theater.
"I spent a good chunk of my time as a student performing despite the fact that I was a psychology major when I was at KU," Corcoran said. "Oddly enough, even though I was singing and directing and performing, I never thought about being a theater major when I was a student."
"Little Women," based on the novel by Allan Knee of the same
name, centers around a young woman named Jo, played by sophomore Sarah Van Zwoll, and her sisters and mother during the American Civil War.
Corcoran said to prepare for the performance and to be as accurate and true to the source material as possible, she went straight to the novel.
"It's been condensed to fit in as much as possible from the novel," Corcoran said. "But I think that we've really developed these characters in such a way, with these KU students who are just hungry to learn and to develop, that we've stayed true to the relationships and feelings involved, and I
think that's the most important part."
Corcoran said not only does she like the story, but she's been able to connect with it on a personal level that she hadn't expected.
land Park, said she connects with Jo's struggle to find her way after recently switching her major after landing the role "changed her life."
Van Zwoll, from Over-
"It's about strong women and what it's like for Jo to find her way," Corcoran said. "She knows she's meant for something special but she doesn't know what and I can remember feeling that uncertainty when I was a college student here at KU. I knew what I wanted to do with my life but I didn't know how, and to be doing it, all these years later here at KU, is so bizarre and amazing."
"I was in graphic design before I switched to musical theater," Van Zwoll said. "I had been thinking about making the switch for a long time, but it wasn't until recently that I got a wake-up call and realized that this is what I should be doing."
With parallels between their stories, it's not surprising that Van Zwoll has found a mentor in Corcoran and said that she wouldn't have been able to play the classic role if it hadn't been for the alum.
"She is so amazing," Van Zwoll said. "She has really been such a rock for me throughout this process. I've never had a role like this before but having someone believe in you and support you like she does has made it an amazing experience. I'm so grateful to have had her here."
"Little Women" opens at 7:30 p.m. April 8. Following performances will be on April 9, 10, 15, 16 and 17. Matinee performances on April 10 and 17 will be at 2:30 p.m., and an audio description service will be available at the April 10 performance for the visually impaired.
- Edited by Skylar Rolstad
Paige Stingley/KANSAN
Sarah Van Zwoll plays Jo in the University Theatre's performance of "Little Women," opening April 8.
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