By Alexis Podgers, Andrew Scalf, Grant Flora and Emily Bontrager
This weekend, Indiana Wesleyan’s Theatre Guild presents its musical production of “Little Women.”
Dr. Holly Wiegand, a professor in Modern Language and Literature, said the musical is based on Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel set during the Civil War.
“It’s a story about family. It’s a story about a set of young girls and their troublesome neighbor friend, navigating through the trials and tribulations of growing up,” Wiegand said.
Wiegand said that Alcott drew heavily on her own experiences to write the characters.
“Writing Jo for her is also very autobiographical, as drawing on her own experience with her family and her desire to write to also look forward to women’s suffrage, when women would gain the right to vote,” Wiegand said.
With shows over the past few years focusing more on kids’ entertainment, “Little Women” is one of the first musicals in a while to fall away from that path.
Dr. Tammy Huntington, the director, said that she wanted to pick something that would be better for the curriculum.
“I really wanted to do something that was more dramatic, less comedy, although there’s plenty of comedy in it, something more realistic and relevant, timeless, and give our actors an opportunity to grapple with that,” Huntington said.
Huntington said that the musical was performed 15 years ago and is a rare return.
“We’ve done it about 15 years ago, and in my time here, we’ve never repeated a show. But we were like, all right, I think it’s, I think it’s time,” Huntington said.
As the cast and crew get ready to start performances on Friday night, the cast share their love for the show.
Abby Dennis, a music therapy major playing Beth, said she is thankful to be a part of the production.
“Little Women has been a musical that I’ve loved since I was like, 11 or 12 or something like that, and so the fact that I get to play Beth, my favorite character in a musical that I’ve loved for so long is absolutely insane,” Dennis said.
Dennis said that through playing Beth, she realized she has a lot in common with her.
“The way that she cares so deeply for her sisters, I think I can relate to that feeling of just loving someone so much and wanting the best for them and trying to do what’s best for them,” Dennis said.
“Little Women” opens Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Philippe Performing Art Center. Additional performances will take place Saturday and the following weekend.
