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First-time director to stage famous play on campus
The Advocate
Anthony Ceglie, a first-year student and MHCC theater major, will be directing "The Glass Menagerie" in the College Theater April 26-28 at 7:30 p.m.
"The Glass Menagerie," originally created by Tennessee Williams, is an adventurous romance set in the late 1930s.
"I was actually more interested in the costuming for the plays," said Ceglie, "but our class size dwindled as time went on and we came to a point where nobody wanted to direct 'The Glass Menagerie.' I stepped up to direct it, as otherwise there would be no play."
It is Ceglie's first time directing. "I've never directed before, just acted," he said. "It's a big change to be on the other side of the play as the person telling the actors what to do as opposed to being the actor and being told what to do."
According to Ceglie, director George Lucas was a big influence on his interest in theater. "His movies brought me into acting since I also wanted to imitate the actions of the characters I saw," he said, "though I never thought about directing."
Ceglie also said that MHCC has helped prepare him for the play with the directing course the school offers. "I learned a lot of things that I wouldn't have learned if I were just an actor, though I found familiarity in it as well," said Ceglie.
Even though this is Ceglie's first time directing, the pressure from the short preparation time of less then a month doesn't spook him.
"Since the play is on such a tight schedule — having under a month to get it ready to perform — I think my inexperience in directing actually gives me an advantage over more seasoned directors since I have no idea how much time is normally allotted for plays, meaning that I'm not freaking out over having such a short window to work with," he said.
"Overall, I love directing, I have a great cast with me and great teachers to help me as well," Ceglie said confidently.
Daryl Harrison-Carson, MHCC theater arts instructor and technical director, said she's excited for Ceglie. "Anthony has a very creative mind, and he's also reliable and diligent," she said. "These are all good qualities for a director and not always easy to find in one person."
"(Ceglie) and stage manager Zack Jackman have already developed an efficient way of working to have the show ready by opening," Harrison-Carson added. "They all are working together well, and there are a lot of details to think about."
Tickets are $2 in advance, $5 for children and $10 for adults at the door.
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