The lights go up, and the curtain rises and falls on yet another fantastic BUPlayers show, “A Divine Kerfuffle” by H. Russ Brown. I had the opportunity to ask the lead, Johanna Gelbs, and the director, Carrie Winship, some questions on their experiences with the show. They had a lot of brilliance to share with us, recalling their play cycle fondly.

• Who did you play and what is your most favorite thing about your characters?
  J: “I played Sarah Bernhardt in A Divine Kerfuffle! She is determined, vocal, and a real
  powerhouse. Impossible to choose one thing I love most about her. She inspires me so much – as
  a character and real person.”
• How did you feel about this production cycle as a whole?
  J: “Loved this show so very very much. It’ll have a special place in my heart forever. Hardest
  show I’ve ever done!”
• What was your favorite part of this production?
  J: “Getting to stretch myself as an actor. Learning to sword fight, wearing unbelievable costumes, speaking in a French accent and the story itself has been such a gift.”
• What was the rehearsal process like for you personally?
  J: “Hard! So. Much. Fun! I can’t believe it’s over. It was such a gift.
• Did you get stage fright? How do you combat it?
  J: “Sure did!! 2 fights, and a bunch of little sword & dagger moments.”
• I know this show had a lot of accents, how did you feel about the accents within the
  show and your own that you had to perform?
  J: “Fun! So great. It added such a great depth, challenge, and humor to the show. I used a French accent 🙂
• Biggest challenges within this show that you had to overcome?”
  J: “Lines! So many! How to stay truthful while remaining so big in character.”
• Who did you dedicate this show to?
  J: “My dad always, and this one, Sarah Bernhardt!”
• What is your biggest inspiration/motivation while getting ready for a show?
  J: “This show was unlike others because the character I was playing was a real person. My dressing table had little nods to her, I made a playlist and Pinterest board dedicated to her and just tried to encompass her as best as possible.”
• Is there anything else you both would like to share?
  J: “How lucky I felt to get to bring such a wonderful story to life! There’s nothing better than live theater, and I cherish every time I’m on stage.”

Next, I also had the pleasure of asking the director of A Divine Kerfuffle, Carrie Winship, some questions as well.

• What led to choosing this play to be produced?
  CW: “Each year, we have a Season Selection Committee of student, faculty, and staff representatives that work across several months to select the upcoming season. The process includes community brainstorming to identify the kinds of shows we are looking for, bringing in titles that have piqued our interest and feel like they reflect the ideas the committee is most excited by, and we also solicit additional titles from other students and interested individuals for consideration. For A Divine Kerfuffle, some of the things that stood out to us as a committee were its comedic & farcical tone, and the inclusion of swordplay/stage combat, accents, and period costumes/setting, all of which are things we’ve not done recently. Personally, I found the story super exciting because it introduces audiences & our students to two important historical women actors – but does so in a very engaging and overtly fictional, and funny way.”
• How has the process been from a directorial standpoint?
  CW: “I’ve really enjoyed the collaborative journey of this show. It is a very demanding project, and we have an incredible team of students and professional artists all working to bring it to life. I’ve loved getting to share my vision for the work with all of these generous artists and to see my own love for the play be shaped by the discoveries others have made as well.”
• What were some highlights of directing this show?
• CW: “There were so many! Some include the fun we had playing with accents in our early rehearsals, the joyful satisfaction when we first nailed a really difficult physical sequence or fight in rehearsal, and the lovely times we had talking about Sarah Bernhardt and Eleanora Duse in our character work and script analysis. This play has only increased my interest in their historical legacies!”
• Was there anything new that you learned, even as a theater professional, with this
  show?
  CW: “I always feel that I am constantly learning in this work since each project has its own unique needs, so YES. I had not worked on a show that featured this particular style of swashbuckling (Victorian Stock phrases) and I have not worked on a show that included sword fights since 2018. There was definitely a learning curve for me in some of this work, and I am so inspired by the work of our fight directors on this project: H. Russ Brown (the playwright) and Eliana Tate (a student here at CU-Bloom)! Additionally, this is my first time directing a show set in the 1890s (although I have worked on many as a dramaturg and stage manager in the past) so incorporating historical research through this process has been joyful for me as a lover and teacher of theater history!”

While at the show on opening night, the audience roared with laughter, and left the theater with many positive things to say, chattering among their groups as they left the theater. This show was once again something monumental for our BUPlayers actors, our arts community, and fellow theater lovers. A huge congratulations to everyone involved! As Sarah Bernhardt would say, “MOMENT!”