November 3, 1994
OHci ZHiefUaiHmotti.
Oklalionia!" cast members take the stage tonight
Jen Avery and Troy Pittman share past experiences
Eric R. Satter
Reporter
Senior Jennifer Avery never
sang before coming lo Elon Col
lege, bul now has the lead role in
Ihe Western musical “Oklahoma!”
i "I never sang before when I
■ came to Elon, but I have danced a
lot." Avery said.
! After auditionmg for "Fiddler
I on the RooF’ as a freshman Avery
decided to take voice lessons with
; Catherine McNeela, director of
Elan. McNeela "just taught me and
molded me as a singer and an ac
tress.”
During her
sophomore year
Avery was in
volved in all the
musicals, but was
uncertain about
what her goals
were.
“At first, I told
myself it’s ok that I
can't sing, because
I'm such a good
Jancer. But I was sick of saying
,hat because I wasn’t that much of
adanceranymore because I wasn’t
dancing professionally and 1 was
very frustrated," Avery said. “1
told myself that it was time that 1
bite Ihe bullet. I would have to
either drop out or go all the way.”
After that summer, Avery
came back to Elon and told
McNeela that she decided that she
really wanted to be a serious singer
and dancer.
Avery then got the female lead
in “Into The Woods,” which she
said "was one of the greatest things
that ever happened" to her. “It was
a show that only strong singers
could get in to,"Avery said.
Avery won an award with the
National Association of Teachers
of Singing, which had built up her
confidence and made her work
harder. She then appeared in
"Crimes ot The Heart" where she
met Troy Pittnjan and other people
who are starring in “Oklahoma!"
this year.
“My senior year was another
test for me, because of Director
Paul Kerr..who I’ve enjoyed work
ing with very much,” Avery said.
“Paul is very objective and 1 was
very nervous because he didn’t re
ally know what I could do and that
Iwasagainst a lot of talented people.
“Audition cuts for “Okla-
homa!" ran very clo.se to a 100
people and it
was very in
tense. I did not
know who was
to going have the
lead female role,
because Paul
took the audi
tions in a totally
new direction,”
Avery said. "At
Eric R. Satter
Reporter
Sophomore Troy Pittman will
oncc again take the stage as a lead
cast member in an Elon College
prixluction.
Tonight Pittman will portray
the swaggering cowboy in the mu
sical prixluction of “Oklahoma!"
Pittman has been a part of
drama theatre for nine years with
his first appearance in a musical
review called "Beautiful City" at
age 10. During high school, he has
been m closc to 30 plays which
include “The Music Man." "Our
Jen Avery call-backs I was
just petrified, because the auditions
could have gone several ways and
I’m very, very honored for being
given the lead female role because
I know that the caliber of the whole
chorus of women is strong.”
Avery wants to get a master of
fine arts in music theatre and even
tually teach at a university and get
a job very similar to Rosemary
Howard’s choreographing job
which involves singing, dancing
and acting.
“The more I learn, the more I
realized that I will never know ev-
erythingand it’sgoing to take years
before I know enough to start mold
ing other people. The stronger I've
grown, the more humble I've be
come...” Avery said.
Town,” “South Pa
cific” and one com
munity play.
“The high
school I came from
in Fairfax, Va. wasn’t
mainly for the per
forming arts, but the
department was so
big that it felt as if
everyone was In
volved. There was a lot of training
that I had in high school that helped
me when 1 got to Elon last year,"
Pittman said.
"I was cxcitcd coming in as a
freshman and realizing that in just
the first week of school that I got a
lead role in a musical and got into
Elan and it wasjust amazing — like
1 couldn't believe that all of this
was happening.”
Although Pittman is in his sec
ond year at Elon, he is registered as
a junior since he takes about 20
credit hours per semester.
"The reason why I want to
graduate next year is because I want
to be part of a major drama pro
gram at the University of Virginia
to get a MFA (master of fine arts),
also the graduate .schtHils will only
accept people every three years and
if I graduated the year I’m sup-
|K).scd to—I would have missed the
program by a year—and the odds
I'm up against to get into the pro
gram at the Llniversity of Virginia
IS eight men to the rest of the world”
Troy said he is actually saving
his parents $ 12,000 by overloading
his classes.
So far his drama expi'nencc at
Elon has included playing the role
of Jack in "Into the Woods," Assis
tant Director with "Crimes of The
Heart" and his reccnt lead role as
Curly in “Oklahoma!"
Phis IS
actually
Pittman’s sec
ond appear
ance in “Okla
homa!" His
first appear
ance was in
high school
where he took
the role of
Troy Pittman * f>y
said that a lead role has much more
responsibility than a role in the
chorus
"I love working with the cast
and my-Qirector Paul Kerr. I love
them because, lo me, "Oklahoma!”
ismorclhanjustashow. It’s some
thing I feel that every person who
comes to the show can relate to one
ol the characters in some part of
their lives and I think that most
people would fail to reali/e this
becau.se they did not or would not
go lo the show.”
ON
THE
SCENE
9
Our Choice ^
■ Connells headline Rolling Stone
New Music Tour at The Rii/ m
Raleigh Nov. 4.
■ Seven Seconds will play at
Cat's Cradle in Carrboro Nov. 7
Ensemble [
■ The Knianons. Elon College's
I Ja/./ Ensemble will perform Nov
8 in McCrary Theatre.
J They will play coniemptirary
and traditional ja/./. from the big
I band btniks.
The event is free and open to
I public
Heading To Concerts
"Oklahoma!"
Tonight til Sat. 8;p.m.
Sun. 2 p.itri.'
McCrary Theater
||Homecoming weekend:
Those funky '70s groovin' events
Money drive and Voting in
Lonp:
Each orgainization will collect
money today and tomorrow for
Alamance Coalition On Adoles
cent Pregnancy.
Voting for Homecoming queen
and king will also be held today.
The winners will be announced at
the football game on Saturday.
Tonight:
Theme Night Competition will
be held in Whitley Auditorium at
7 p.m.
Tickets are $2 and seating in
Whitley is limited.
Friday
"Friday Fest" at Scott Plaza will
begin at 7 p.m.
include: a pep rally,fireworks, a
comedian and a performance by
Dakkota.
Saturday:
Float competition and a parade
will begin at 10 a.m. on Haggard
Avenue.
A fooball game will be held at 2
p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
I ■ Sex Police will play at Cat's
Cradle in Carrboro Nov. 5.
H Jiidybat-s and LIK will play at
I Ziggy's in Winston-Salem Nov. 9
I Prong, Clutch and Drown will
I perform at Ziggy's in Winston-Sa
lem Nov. 10.
■ Southern Culture on the Skids
J will play at Cat's Cradle in Carrboro
I Nov. 11.
Dave Mathews Hand will play
I at Wake Forest Nov. I I,
IJve and VVeczer (with The
Falima Mansions) will perform at
I TTie Ritz in Raleigh Nov. 12.
Purple School llus will perf orm
I at The Lighthouse Nov. 16.
Violent Femmes will play at
I UNC Chapcl Hill Nov. 15.
Meli.s.sa Ktheridge will perform
I at LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Sa
lem Nov. 22
\/lt The Movies
Graham Cinema (226-I4K8):
Forest Gump
I Terrace Theater (228-19X1);
Exit lo Eden, Jason's Lyrics, Lillie
I Giants, Love Affair, The River
I Wild, The Specialist and Wes
Craven's New Nightmare,