Home » Meet the Cast of “Emma”

Meet the Cast of “Emma”

Published October 26, 2017

In Jane Austen’s “Emma,” Highbury, England’s own matchmaker, Emma Woodhouse, brings matrimony and misunderstanding to town in the early 19th century. Clarks Summit University’s Theatre Department will bring the story to life on October 26-28, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $8.

Get tickets now!

Get to know all the student performers before they take the stage through our cast member biographies released the week prior to the production!

Mr. Woodhouse: Cal Hudak

After performing in numerous plays and musicals, Hudak, a freshman Communications-Theatre major, has taken on the role of Mr. Woodhouse in “Emma.” As an introvert, the theatre has given him a place where he can express himself. Hudak says, “Everything just feels natural and a lot easier for me.” He also believes it would be interesting if he could play the villain of a story sometime.

Mr. Woodhouse, a caring, lonely, old man, has a fear of sickness and odd weather. Hudak has found difficulty in portraying an older gentleman and speaking in a continuous British accent. Hudak enjoys the sincerity of his character, but struggles with how his character is trapped in his own world. Mr. Woodhouse never wants to leave the fireplace to be with others. Yet, he becomes bitter when the people close to him leave to carry on with their lives. Hudak challenges the audience to remember the characters “are no different as human beings.” They have character flaws, just like humans have flaws.

Mr. Knightly: Josiah Hall

Josiah Hall is a junior Pastoral Ministries major with a minor in Music and loves serving God through theatre. He has been involved in a theatre group called Faith in History Performers. He enjoys conveying a message to his audience and believes acting provides a platform to communicate effectively. Hall hopes to convey that “what your good at can glorify God.” His dream role is “Javert” in “Les Misérables.”

Mr. Knightly is the smartest person in the room. He is thoughtful and deeply cares about the well-being of others. People who desire the voice of reason and enjoy a witty, sarcastic character will love Mr. Knightly. Hall, like Mr. Knightly, helps people who are in trouble, but he admits the difficulty in seeing the best in people and understanding that all people have a story. When a character is different from the actor, there is a level of difficulty in performing. Hall says, “They are doing the things that I wouldn’t do.” But Hall states that this is the “fun thing about acting; you do things you wouldn’t normally do.” While the actor dislikes the honesty of his character, he also has an admiration for this quality. The play is not meant to focus on the gospel, but Hall challenges the audience to try to see God throughout the production. Hall, personally, has been reminded of “God’s faithfulness to us even when we are not following Him.”

-Colleen Noll is a Communications-Writing major who is studying theatre practicum and plans to graduate in 2020.

SearchCategories
Archives Related Posts
Left Menu Icon