Ten Oglethorpe theater students will star in “Marie Antoinette,” a play opening on Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the Conant Performing Arts Center. Written by David Adjimi and directed by Donya K. Washington, “Marie Antionette” is a contemporary retelling of the famous queen during the French Revolution. Accustomed to a life of extravagance, young Marie must adjust to the emerging political tension as disdain for the royal family grows. This dark comedy explores excessive consumption, class differences, and power.

Tatum McBride, a junior theatre major, earned an important role as Theresa De Lambelle. She described her character as a good friend, who loves Marie but is not afraid to tell her the ugly truth. “She’s another person who gets really misconstrued in history,” McBride said. “I know the stereotypes about the French Revolution, but I would like to think she was one of the better ones.”

Also, as a history minor, McBride was drawn to the show by its historical foundation and relevance to modern events. “It provides a lot of different perspectives,” she said. “History can lie to us sometimes, and I hope people take something away from that.”
Another student, Tae Brasel, a sophomore theater major, plays multiple roles: a servant, then the Royalist, and an understudy for the Sheep. He described the servant as the hardest of these roles because he is responsible for getting Marie dressed, which includes many moving pieces and arranging complicated garments. “Jennifer [Schottstaedt], the costume designer, did such a beautiful job on the costumes and they look so good, it's just going to be a thing of doing it over and over in rehearsal until we get it,” he said.

This production of “Marie Antionette” is the fourth annual collaboration between Oglethorpe Theatre and Actor’s Express, an Atlanta theatre company. This partnership gives students experience working in more professional settings and sets them up for an acting career post-graduation.
McBride has worked on previous collaborations with Actor’s Express, describing a noticeable difference between the usual OU productions and those in collaboration with the theatre company. “There’s a lot more advertising to do, we’re involved in promotion and interviews and stuff, which is really cool and really fun,” McBride noted. “It's a lot more pressure, I’ll say, but really, it's a good difference.”
According to Brasel, a lot of the professional practices he has seen from Actor’s Express are things Oglethorpe already does. Additionally, he expressed that the Oglethorpe theater program is special in itself.
“I think my favorite thing is that the Oglethorpe theater students are so fun to work with that there's never really a boring rehearsal,” Brasel said. “The arts can be really competitive, but here everybody’s more focused on what they want their future to look like.”

McBride also mentioned the supportive environment: “It's really educational and really cool to learn so many different things with some of my closest friends, it’s always so positive.”
Oglethorpe students will not only be on stage but backstage as well. The set, props, lighting, and sound are all handled by a combination of students and professionals. “[Crew] put in a lot of time and effort,” McBride commented. “I hope they get their flowers.”
Leading up to opening night, McBride and Brasel were both full of anticipation. “I will say, I think it's going to be different than a lot of people are expecting,” McBride said.
Brasel added: “I’m really excited for an audience to bring that life back into it. Also, if you’re an Oglethorpe student, you get one free ticket, make sure you use it, it’ll be awesome.”
"Marie Antionette” runs until Feb. 23 and students, faculty, and staff can claim their one free ticket by presenting their school ID at the box office. Tickets are on sale now at actors-express.com.