Published: May 01, 2008 11:37 pm         

Director plans exciting performances for Crossroads Repertory Theater

TERRE HAUTE — Indiana State University professor Chris Berchild intends to make his own unique impression on the summer theater season at ISU.

Berchild will serve as the interim artistic director for Crossroads Repertory Theater at ISU this summer while ISU Theater Department Chairman Arthur Feinsod is on sabbatical.

Berchild’s prior experience with many other companies and involvement in ISU’s theater department led him to receive this position. And while he respects Feinsod’s choices, Berchild wants to make this season his own. The general format will be close to the usual one; however, this season will have a different feel to it.

As interim artistic director, Berchild is in charge of both the art and the business aspects of the season. He is in charge of developing a vision for the season, choosing and casting the plays, and hiring multiple others for design, directing and production.

“In a perfect world you would want the perfect person for every role,” Berchild said. “In the real world, theater is a business …You can’t pay 24 actors for a nine-actor job.”

The four main-stage plays that will be performed this season were chosen for their dramatic integrity and their ability to give the summer audiences what they want. They all center around the idea of communication.

Berchild wants the audiences to know that the shows are for them.

“The reason we do this is for our audiences,” Berchild said. “We don’t create theater to please ourselves. We do it for our audiences and our community … They are our reason for being.”

This summer, the community can expect such familiar faces as Mark Douglas Jones, Brandon Wentz, Amy Attaway, Andy Rabenstein, Carolyn Rodkey, Lew Hackleman and Julie Dixon.

Berchild is anxious to see how the dynamics of this group will work. Every company member will be working on at least two shows along with side projects.

In addition to the lineup of shows, audience members are invited to attend New Play Tuesdays, Sunday post-show talks, community tours of the children’s show, and opening night post-show dinners.

On Memorial Day, Berchild will begin his work producing the summer shows. From the next day until the end of July, the company will be working. The average work week is six days, 12 hours a day, three rehearsals a day.

“It’s a hefty load to take on,” Berchild said. “Many of the actors are in three of the four plays, rehearsing nonstop for weeks.”

The first show of the season, opening June 20, is Steve Martin’s comedy “The Underpants.” It highlights the miscommunication between people and all the havoc that it causes in their lives.

“The Last 5 Years,” opening June 27, is a musical about the buildup and destruction of a couple’s communication over the span of their relationship.

“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” opening July 2, is a family-friendly show that follows Alice in her journey of communicating with the dream world around her.

And “MacBeth,” opening July 11, is a new look at William Shakespeare’s familiar tale of communication between spouses and community.

“Come and share a show with us,” Berchild said. “You might have fun.”

For more information about the season, call the ISU Theater Department at (812) 237-3333.

Educational News Service is a wire service of the Indiana State University Communication Department that provides student-written, faculty-edited stories to news organizations in the Wabash Valley.