When the Seattle Children’s Theatre decided to present The Outsiders this winter, artistic director Linda Hartzell knew she needed actors who could convincingly portray angst-ridden teenagers. She found them at the UW.

For the first time in Seattle Children’s Theatre’s (SCT) history, the entire cast was made up of actors from the UW School of Drama. Half were undergraduate drama majors; the other half graduate students in the Professional Actor Training Program (PATP). Costumes and sets were designed by graduate designers who just picked up their degrees in December.

Actors (from left) Jonathan Martin, Richard Lopez, Bridie Harrington, Jenny Mercein, and Lathrop Walker. Photo by Chris Bennion.

The Outsiders is adapted from S.E. Hinton’s 1967 book, a classic tale about teens of different socio-economic classes who seem bent on destroying each other. “The story is about the struggle young people have in their families, in themselves, and in society,” says Hartzell. “When I learned that it is still the most widely read book for ninth graders in the United States, I thought it would be a good choice for SCT.”

But there was still the matter of casting. “I felt it was important to have faces on stage that looked younger,” explains Hartzell, “yet I needed people that had been trained in theatre, since we were doing 11 shows each week and had to prepare very quickly. The actors needed some technique under their belt.”

Hartzell thought of the UW School of Drama, confident that its students had the necessary preparation. She should know, having earned her own B.A. from the School in 1973. “I’m connected enough with the UW to see how they are training their students,” she says. “Otherwise I would not have been willing to try this.”

Hartzell contacted Sarah Nash Gates, director of the School of Drama, who agreed that the show would be a terrific learning opportunity for students, providing them with the chance to work
in a professional theater and perform for a younger audience than they would normally find at the University. From there it was a matter of getting permission from Actors Equity, the theater union, to use the student actors. The Outsiders is being produced as an “extra” beyond SCT’s regular season, so no Equity performers lost jobs because of it.

	Jonathan Martin (left) as Johnny and Richard Lopez as Ponyboy. Photo by Chris Bennion.

For the actors, performing at SCT was a tremendous opportunity. The venue is larger than most UW theatres, the audience is different, the stakes are higher. And unlike University productions, the students were paid a stipend and had the luxury of focusing on acting full time during the 19 days of rehearsal and three weeks of performances.

“At the UW, we rehearse after spending the day in classes, and after rehearsal we still have studying to do,” says drama major Lathrop Walker, who played “Two-Bit” in The Outsiders. “Being able to just focus on this play has been great. Everyone has really made the most of that.”

Richard Lopez, a third year PATP student, also welcomed the longer run for the SCT production. He found that playing his role for 33 performances—compared to an average 12 performances for UW productions—gave him a chance to explore his character more fully. “I still feel that I haven’t completely cracked the character,” said Lopez after the first week of the run. “Every day I focus on how I can make it better.”

Lopez played Ponyboy, the lead character from whose perspective the story is told. He was surprised—and pleased—to be cast in the lead. “In the audition process, Linda had each of us
read all the parts, then whittled it down,” Lopez explains. “When I read Ponyboy, I thought, ‘Why would I be reading for this?’ When Linda told me I had the part, I was ecstatic. I hadn’t had a lead at the UW and I knew this would be a great challenge for me.”

Maiken Wiese, a drama major who graduated in December, faced a different challenge as a female cast member in a male-dominated play. She played the part of Sandy, who appears on stage briefly toward the beginning of the play but does not reappear until much later. “The challenge is to come off stage and come on a half hour later and still be in character,” she says. Wiese also played a male character during the rumble scene, a carefully choreographed fight sequence that involved most of the cast. “That was my favorite part,” she admits. “That was really fun.”

The "Greasers" in The Outsiders. Photo by Chris Bennion.

All of the actors agree that one highlight of the SCT experience was performing for teenage audiences. Six shows each week were reserved for middle, junior, and high school classes, arriving by bus from as far away as Portland, Oregon. “When you have an audience of teenagers, there’s a constant energy there,” says Walker. “It’s a different kind of experience than performing for UW audiences—a little more alive for me.”

Most cast members participated in a question and answer session following each performance, where they fielded questions that ranged from literal (“Were you holding a real gun?”) to thought-provoking (“If you could change one part of the play, what would it be?”). “The audiences were really on the ball,” says Walker. “They picked up on a lot of the little stuff and weren’t afraid to ask questions. We were impressed.”

Hartzell, in turn, was impressed by the actors, describing their composure during the Q&A as “just spectacular.” The same goes for their acting in the play. “I was really taken with how enthusiastic and smart all the actors were,” says Hartzell. “The energy was great. They were so eager.”

Hartzell admits that she had to do a bit more coaching than usual during rehearsals due to the actors’ lack of professional experience, but she says the extra effort was worth it.

“Working with the students made me feel younger,” she says. “It gave me an adrenaline rush to be with them. I really looked forward to working with them every day.”

[Winter/Spring 2003 - Table of Contents]