Sophomore Mark Recznik, who plays the character Matt, with two tech members, sophomore Jack Scott (left) and junior Tony Lopez (right).
BY MELISSA SOLANO
STAFF WRITER
“Franciscan University: The Musical” has been causing waves of anticipation all over campus.
Pitched as a humorous musical depicting an exaggerated version of life here at Franciscan, the musical is the brainchild of senior students David Sheehy and Anna Albrittain.
Sheehy says that the inspiration for the musical arose from a conversation he had with a friend his freshman year when the two jokingly made a spoof of a song based on life at Franciscan and shared it with friends.
“We all joked about the idea of writing a musical and how fun it could be,” he said. “They all told me I should do it, and the idea stuck in my head.”
That thought is about to become a reality.
Sheehy and Albrittain held auditions at the start of the semester and have a cast of students from all grade levels participating: Sean Coyle, junior; Maddie Appleby, sophomore; Mark Recznik, sophomore; Teresa Cardone, senior; Nathan Hart, sophomore; Zachary May, freshman; Jasmine Galvez, senior; Jessica Schissel, junior; and Noelle Veverka, sophomore.
The tech crew will consist of a handful of members from Sheehy’s household, Fishers of Men.
Sheehy handled the main writing, directing and producing, while Albrittain covered advertising and helped oversee rehearsals.
Sheehy encourages all students to come see the show, which will be performed twice this upcoming week.
“Students should see this solely based on the fact that nothing like this has happened at the university in a long time,” he said. “We have an extremely talented group singing songs made specifically for Franciscan students within a plot that will have them laughing throughout the entire performance.”
Sheehy and Albrittain are using this project as their Center for Leadership capstone project.
The cast of Franciscan University: The Musical rehearse for their upcoming performances. From left to right: junior Jessica Schissel, senior Jasmine Galvez, junior Sean Coyle, sophomore Nathan Hart, sophomore Maddie Appleby, sophomore Mark Recznik, freshman Zachary May, and senior Teresa Cardone.
In terms of possible backlash or criticism, Sheehy says that he recognizes the impossibility of pleasing everyone, but that the show is merely an opportunity for students to laugh at themselves and make light of the little quirks and nuances that make up Franciscan university student culture.
Franciscan University: The Musical will be performed on Friday, November 21, first at 6 p.m. and again at 8 p.m. in the J.C. Williams Center Gallery. Doors will open half an hour before each performance.
It will also be online at a later time for students to watch. The show performances are free, though donations will be accepted for the Fishers of Men household.