JULY 13-JULY 19,2005
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
5
▼ ARTS
Summer Theatre ends with 'Folly'
Kerri Henderson/KANSAN
"Talley's Folly," a play following the courtship between Sally Talley and Matt Friedman, begins July 15 on Stage Too! and will close the season theatre.
BY LIZ NARTOWICZ
lnartowicz@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Kansas Summer Theatre actors overcome theatrical and physical obstacles for their production of Lanford Wilson's "Tallev's Folly."
Because the play only contains two characters, both actors face the challenge of performing for an hour and a half straight.
Summer Eglinski, Lawrence 2005 graduate, plays Sally Talley, a conservative 31-year-old woman who comes from a wealthy and narrow-minded family.
"It's a bit of a marathon," Eglinski said.
"I'm a bit slap-happy at the end."
Dennis Christilles, associate professor of theatre and film, directs the play and said it was unusual for a play to only have two actors.
Christilles said he had Eglinski and Aaron Champion, Overland Park senior, start by rehearsing shorter scenes in order to build up their stamina.
Another obstacle Eglinski and Champion tackled was the character's dialects. Matt Friedman, played by Champion, is a 42-year-old man with a European accent. Sally Talley is from Lebanon, Mo., and
has a rural accent.
The two actors received assistance from a dialect coach and worked with each other to perfect their accents.
"Aaron's family is from the Ozarks so whenever I needed help I'd just ask him," Eglinski said.
"Talley's Folly" is the second play in Laford Wilson's "Talley Family" trilogy, and is the lightest of the three, Christilles said.
Eglinski, who has read the third play in the trilogy, "Talley and Sons," said it was not necessary to know about the other plays. Each play stands on its own, Eglinski said.
"It's not sugar coated, but it's sweet compared to the other plays," Eglinski said. "It doesn't overwhelm you with its weight."
The play, set in 1944, is about a mismatched couple and their improbable relationship.
The play opens with Matt returning to ask for Sally's hand in marriage. But Sally's family challenges Matt's happy ending with their disapproval of his Jewish heritage and differing viewpoints. In order to conquer this challenge, the couple must confront their differences and come to terms with their past.
— Edited by Erin M. Droste
ITS SHOWTIME
Performances of "Talley's Folly" are at 7:30 p.m. on July 15,16,21,22, and 23 and at 2:30 p.m. on July 17 on Stage Tool! at the Crafton-Preyer Theatre in Murphy Hall.
Tickets can be purchased at the Lied Center ticket office, by phone at the University Theatre, 864-3982, or online at kutheatre.com.
Tickets are $10 for the public, $9 for senior citizens and KU faculty and staff and $6 for all students.
The west entrance to Murphy Hall will be closed because of construction on Naismith Drive. Please use the southwest entrance.
amenities
- Indoor fitness center
- Swimming pool
- Rock Chalk Cafe
- Outdoor basketball court
- On KU bus route
- Paid utilities
- On-site laundry facilities
- Fully-furnished
- Computer center
- 24-hour study lounge
- Convenient on-site parking
- Unlimited meal plan included
- Complimentary Housekeeping