“American Idiot” over January Intersession
Two ÓűÂţɬ students decided to warm their January by rekindling their love of musical theater.
Two ÓűÂţɬ students decided to tread the boards over January Intersession.
First-year student Gina Pasciuto and sophomore Hannah Dubé are currently in rehearsals for Green Day’s “American Idiot,” the musical, which is being produced by . Pasciuto is playing Joshua and Favorite Son, and Dubé is performing Alysha and is in the ensemble.
Pasciuto is originally from Dedham, Massachusetts, where she was involved in “tons” of theater. She’s already declared her theater arts major, and is planning to double major in English. While she hasn’t yet done any acting at the Rooke Theatre, ÓűÂţɬ’s main stage, she’s been cast in a senior thesis project, will be the publicist for “Lizzie: The Musical” and has worked with the lighting crew for shows.
“This,” she said of the “American Idiot,” “is just for fun.”
Fun it may be, but it’s also hard work: The rehearsals are 12-hour affairs. “I love the intensity but it can be a challenge to remember parts and remember choreography,” Pasciuto said. “I’ve been recording all my harmonies on my voice app on my phone.”
Dubé is a politics and sociology double major from East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. “I did a lot of theater in high school and I haven’t kept up with it as much as I wanted to — and I’m a huge Green Day fan!” she said.
While she also finds the long rehearsal stints exhausting, Dubé said, it’s been “immensely fun.”
She especially values “getting to know a lot of people from across the Five Colleges and seeing the hard work we’ve put into the show,” she said.
Pasciuto agreed, citing “camaraderie with the cast” as a benefit of being in the show. “We’ve gotten close really quickly,” she said.
The musical has rekindled Dubé’s love of theater. “I’ve got two and a half more years at ÓűÂţɬ and I would love to do something at the theater, if time allows me to,” she said.
Performances of Amherst College’s “American Idiot” will be held from January 30 to February 2 at 7:30 p.m. at The Powerhouse, 10 East Drive, in Amherst. .