MARQUIS PLAYERS TO TAKE THE STAGE IN SPRING PRODUCTION OF CABARET

MARQUIS PLAYERS TO TAKE THE STAGE IN SPRING PRODUCTION OF CABARET — BY EMMA SYLVESTER

The Marquis Players love to sing and dance in support of a good cause. As Lafayette’s student-led musical theatre organization, the group puts on a musical each spring in the Williams Center for the Arts that draws spectators from all corners of campus and the surrounding community. This year the Marquis Players will present Cabaret in a series of three performances, with opening night on April 11th at 7:30pm. 

“I think the reason that all of us have become leaders in this organization is not necessarily only because of our love of theatre and performing, but also our love of the people that are in the organization which sounds cliche, but it’s true,” said Thurtle. “Theatre is about community.” 

The club is currently led by a trio of seniors, with many other hands involved behind the scenes. Alex Thurtle (they/them) and Liam Thompson (he/him) serve as president and vice president of the Marquis Players, while Cormac Hurley (they/he) is in charge of directing the club’s spring production.

Thompson shared that performing in his first Marquis Players show, inspired him to run for an executive position for the club. 

“The community was unbelievable, and it had become something that I felt like I needed to take care of, and that I wanted to give as much to as I could before I left the campus,” he said.

“I think the reason that all of us have become leaders in this organization is not necessarily only because of our love of theatre and performing, but also our love of the people that are in the organization which sounds cliche, but it’s true,” said Thurtle. “Theatre is about community.” 

Thurtle and Thompson operate as co-artistic directors, a role new to the organization. With these positions comes the responsibility of managing the production and design teams and making sure the spring production is in alignment with the club’s goals and values. 

 As Director, Hurley is in charge of putting together the production and design teams as well as overseeing the show on every level. They have a hand in blocking all of the show’s scenes, as well as giving the final say on the choreography and music that will fulfill their vision for the final production. Hurley said they “work collaboratively with the production and design team on almost everything you will see when the show hits the stage,” including choosing the show and casting the performers.

Hurley also shared that their role as director has given them a unique view of theatre. “Now I get to learn about theatre on a whole new level that I haven’t before, being behind the scenes,” they said.

In terms of deciding on the spring show, the team considered several factors.

“We are choosing from shows we like, but shows that also have actual value to the club,” Thompson said. 

The show selection process is very collaborative and challenges the management team to consider the success of the prior year, the types of people who might audition, and how certain shows may push boundaries for the club to allow future members the freedom to explore a greater range of themes.

Thurtle explained that the executive board chose Cabaret very intentionally. “Not only does it feature a lot of fun dancing and musical numbers, but it also features a lot of culturally relevant themes,” they said.

Cabaret is a show that features the most serious and mature content the Marquis Players have tackled in a long time. Set in Berlin right before the outbreak of the Holocaust, the show grapples with themes of Jewish identity, intersectionality, and the convergence between the body and the political. 

“It hits a lot within a small show,” said Thurtle. “It may sound dark, but there are a lot of really fun numbers.”

 “When we talk about the arts on campus, I mean, we wanted to do a show where we could get money for charity, but we also wanted to do a show that would have a thematic impact on the arts on campus,” Hurley added. “I think that’s what art is for, you know, to give the community something to think about that’s truly meaningful.” 

The trio was in agreement that one of the best parts of being involved in the group is the opportunity to entertain their peers while concurrently raising money to make a positive impact on the community.

Cabaret also features characters with queer identities, which is something Hurley said the group is “honing in on” for their production, especially through philanthropy. The club chooses a different organization to sponsor through their fundraising efforts each year. All funds raised by the club this year will go towards supporting the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center’s youth programming initiatives, whose website outlines their mission “to build youth leadership, build community, encourage healthy living, and to promote artistic expression for LGBTQ+ youth in the Lehigh Valley.”

“I wish the audience could come to more of an understanding that when they come to see our shows, it’s also a philanthropy event,” said Thompson. “The audience gets to come and enjoy this really awesome night, and then additionally them just being there is going to support a great cause, which is like really cool.”

According to Thurtle, the Marquis Players have raised nearly $100,000 so far over the past 20 years through their philanthropic initiatives. Thompson explained that the Marquis Players as an organization strives to enrich Lafayette’s culture in the arts while simultaneously raising money to support local communities. The trio was in agreement that one of the best parts of being involved in the group is the opportunity to entertain their peers while concurrently raising money to make a positive impact on the community.

“It’s truly a win on every level. It’s a lot of work, and it is extracurricular. You don’t get academic credit for doing it, but it’s so rewarding,” Hurley shared.

This year, Thompson said that the Marquis Players are “very privileged to have a lot of multi-year involvement.” Cabaret’s audition process attracted over 50 auditionees, the majority of whom were first-years. Hurley said it was tough to decide on a final cast of 26 due to widespread interest in the production with limited roles. However, there were more opportunities for people to get involved behind the scenes with the show’s production and design teams, whose leadership roles are also spread among class years. 

While several of the Players are also involved in the theatre department, these two are separate entities. The theatre department typically puts on plays except for a musical in the fall every other year. Because of this, Thurtle said “For a lot of people, [Marquis Players] is one of the only opportunities to do musical theatre, and that’s why Marquis Players usually has a pretty big involvement because a lot of people do want to sing and act and dance at the same time” regardless of their academic focus.

While Thurtle and Hurley’s studies are focused on theatre and fields in the humanities, the academic interests of those involved with the Marquis Players span from the arts to engineering. Thompson himself is an integrative engineering major with a focus on environment and energy, demonstrating the ability of Lafayette students to become involved in the arts beyond the classroom. 

The Marquis Players have been hard at work for the past month, rehearsing in three-hour increments for four days per week with plans to add Sunday rehearsals closer to the show. In terms of rehearsal content, each day is different. Hurley explained that certain days are often specialized as choreography-focused or blocking days for scheduling reasons and that working around the availability of 26 cast members and the production team can be challenging to navigate. 

“We’re currently learning as much of the show as we can each week, and then we’ll start cleaning it up until it’s polished,” they said. Over time, the group will incorporate a set and props into the show and continue to rehearse until the curtain rises in Williams.

Viewers can look forward to watching Thompson and Thurtle take the stage in the roles of Emcee and Sally Bowles once the show premieres on April 11th. On the day of opening night, the Marquis Players also plan to sponsor a pre-show talk with Professor Lisa Hiton to discuss some of the show’s social justice issues.

Before then, the Marquis Players will continue to fundraise for their philanthropic goals. On March 28th they will be collaborating with L-RAJE, a club on campus dedicated to promoting social justice activism related to sexual and reproductive autonomy, in a tabling initiative in Farinon where they will be selling a combination of sweet treats and L-RAJE product bags. The group will also hold their annual quesadilla sale between Gates and McKeen on the night of March 29th. All proceeds will go towards the Bradbury-Sullivan Community Center for LGBT Youth in Allentown.

Show tickets are available for sale in the Williams Center for the Arts box office and can also be purchased online.

One final message from the trio: “Get excited! Come support the arts!”