He tries not to cough when he's dead. He spends his evenings playing with weapons, wearing tights, a lacy skirt, and ballet slippers. And we get to watch.
It's not sadism ? la Tufts. It's not a deranged sports team initiation. It's a rehearsal for this semester's drama department show, William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, directed by Artist-in-Residence Anthony Cornish. On Thursday, Nov. 1, all eyes in the Balch Arena Theatre will be on Romeo, played by freshman David Greene.
Although recruited to Tufts to play football, a mysterious cough took Greene off the field and into Health Services. After some consultations, Greene decided to put football aside for a year. With all that free time, what was a freshman to do? Try out for every performance group, of course.
But unlike most aspiring freshman actors, Greene landed prestigious roles: a spot with Cheap Sox and the male lead in Romeo and Juliet. Even more surprising, Greene had auditioned for some more minor roles and wasn't originally called back for the role of Romeo. Since being cast as the lead, the expression "free time" no longer applies to Greene's life, but the former athlete welcomes the challenge.
Greene says the whole experience was "a little nerve-wracking," but definitely rewarding. That he is a freshman didn't influence the opinions of the director or the rest of the cast.
"He was the best man for the job, how else would you cast someone?" Cornish said, adding that the cast and crew don't seem to care, either. Some cast members are in total awe of his performance and a crewmember recently described Greene's Romeo as "drool-inspiring."
Greene was active in theater productions in high school, primarily participating in musicals - so long as they didn't interfere with the football season. But there are many differences between high school and Tufts drama productions, namely the Balch Arena's theatre- in-the-round, the Drama Department's big budget, and the productions' intensive hours of rehearsal.
Now, as the time before the show dwindles and the pressure of perfection increases, the hours of rehearsal further multiply. According to Greene, however, "it's almost less work, oddly enough," since everyone has memorized their lines, and it's a matter of sanding the edges.
It's at these late moments that Cornish gives most of his advice. His directing style consists of giving students freedom at first and only commenting slightly about what the character is feeling. Only now, in the last weeks of rehearsal, is his advice increasing. When Cornish reads notes, most of them go to Greene, not because he needs more help, but because the director knows that everyone will be watching him carefully.
Greene fights, dances, and gives up his body to the spirit of Romeo. When you go to see Romeo and Juliet in the Balch Arena Theatre, you'll be glad that David Greene is in the spotlight and not on the turf.
