Students in the Conservatory of Theatre and Dance are in charge of bringing "The Diviners" to life at Southeast Missouri State University's River Campus.
"The Diviners," written by Jim Leonard Jr., tells the story of Buddy Layman, a small-town boy during the Great Depression who suffers from brain damage and has a gift to find water. C.C. Showers, a former preacher, befriends Buddy as he fights his own mental battles.
Buddy and C.C. work together to help each other solve their crises but not without conflict and tragedy along the way.
Senior Zach Coop, who plays Buddy, used other characters to help him get into the mindset of his character.
"I looked up clips from 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape?'" he said. "[Leonardo DiCaprio's] character has autism, and I was trying to see the mindset of someone who is naive and innocent and just see how they naturally react to things."
Coop said he approached each scene as a child would. Children are innocent, naĂŻve, curious and like to make believe and have fun. It was hard for him to get into character, but the more he looked at the role through a different mindset, the stronger his adaptation of the character became.
Unlike his costar, junior Darryl D'Angelo Jones didn't have to prepare for his role as C.C. Many people have told him if he wasn't an actor, he should consider becoming a preacher. But he's not sure if preaching will be in his future.
"There are so many similarities that parallel between me and C.C. that it's scary," he said. "I've learned that it's not OK to not be ready [to be a preacher] right now, if that is what God wants me to do."
Junior Kaylin White, director of "The Diviners," was in charge of casting roles in the show. She noticed the unique qualities each cast member could bring to the characters, especially within the freshman class.
"Half of my show is freshmen and half of my show is upperclassmen," she said. "It's a little taboo, because [directors] want to give [the freshmen] chances, but there are also more experienced actors. I saw so many great freshmen at the auditions."
White is glad to be the director instead of a cast member, as she would much rather be offstage than on.
"I quit the theater department after my freshman year because I was not really satisfied being an actor," she said. "But that summer I directed a show in my hometown, and I absolutely loved it. I fell in love with directing. So when I came back to school, I was like I can't give up theater. I had to pursue directing."
The rest of the cast and crew has had a positive experience working with White. She gave them plenty of time to get into their characters mentally and physically.
"If you're doing something that she doesn't agree with, she will call you out on it," Jones said. "Some directors don't [do that]."
White said she has found the cast and crew has become more comfortable with themselves, their characters and each other throughout the rehearsal process.
"There's a bond between everyone," White said.
Stage manager Jared Klein also has seen a difference in the cast from the first rehearsals to now.
"The difference between the first read through to how they are now, it's like night and day," Klein said. "Some of them have really turned into the character and the story. I'm very proud of them."
Even though "The Diviners" is a tragedy, it has some lighthearted moments that will pull on the heartstrings of viewers.
"It will touch them in a loving way, in a way that I feel that God would want them to see it," Jones said.
White said "The Diviners" is the kind of show that isn't performed often at Southeast.
"It's a different kind of show," White said. "It's a really refreshing and beautiful show, one of the best shows I've ever read."
"The Diviners" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday in the Rust Flexible Theatre. Students can purchase tickets for $3 with a valid Southeast ID at the River Campus Box Office, located at 518 S. Fountain St., from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets also can be purchased at rivercampus.org/the-diviners.
