Cabrini’s theater program is home to numerous talented actors and actresses all with their own unique flare and purpose. Whether you are a singer, actor or tech, there is a place for you at Cabrini.
One student who is continuing his passion for performing is sophomore exercise science major Joshua Muska. He is appearing in his third production at Cabrini this April and was featured in last spring’s “Working,” and this past fall’s “Out of Order.”
“I really enjoy doing it because you’re not yourself when you’re on the stage, you’re someone else and it’s just fun,” Muska said. He has participated in shows since about his freshman year of high school and has played many interesting roles.
“My favorite was being Lumiere in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ my junior year,” Muska said, “and I loved being Frederick in ‘Pirates of Penzance.’” Muska says he loves singing, “but there’s also something to be said for doing a drama or comedy.”
Muska’s favorite part about being in plays is the people. “It’s like a whole big family,” Muska said. “The whole production you are just working and growing together but its fun.” Especially at Cabrini with the theater and stage being so small, it gives the cast and crew a better chance to bond.
Muska loves performing and showing off his hard work at rehearsal. “The moments before you go out, it’s scary, but once you’re on stage it’s like you’ve done this so many times it’s natural” Muska said.
Muska is very excited to be a part of this spring’s “Avenue Q,” a musical with an edge and a cast of puppets. A daring show for Cabrini to perform, the cast is performing a toned down version compared to the script done on Broadway.
“There are things that you might not expect to see at a Catholic school,” Muska said, such as one of the opening songs performed by his character Nicky, titled “If You Were Gay.”
“The language is toned down and they cut out parts of songs, or changed sections,” Muska said. Entire songs have been altered as well; the Broadway version’s song “The Internet is for Porn” has become a similarly themed yet not as raunchy “My Social Life is Online.”
But the real kicker to this show is that the cast is not just performing as their character; their character is a puppet that they voice and control. “Working with the puppets adds another element to the show,” Muska said. “Everyone does such a great job of making them come to life.”
Each puppet has its own personality and they are far less creepy-looking than you may imagine. “I think the puppets might bring out a different crowd,” Muska said. “And the play is more oriented towards college-aged people.”
Joshua can’t wait for April and the theater to be packed. “People should see it because it’s really funny and you’ll see all the hard work we put into it,” Muska said. “And it’s different than anything Cabrini has done before.”
Info box – tickets are free but get them before they are gone! Go to SEaL to pick up tickets for specific dates and times. Performances – April 11,12,13,14 and 18,19,20,21
