Two staff members work together
at local theater
By Andy Denham
Staff
Writer
Two members of the Purdue
staff have more skills to offer than those they use in their day jobs.
The assistant marketing director for Purdue Convocations and a University
landscape architect both do great work on campus, but when they team
up at the off-campus Civic Theater, they contribute entertainment to
the community.
As the landscape architect,
John Collier said he helps design the landscapes outside the buildings.
His landscaping work at Purdue includes such places as the grounds around
the bell tower and the drive near Stewart Center.
"I have the best job on campus,"
Collier says. "When people leave Purdue they will remember how beautiful
and great everything looked, and I know that I was part of that."
In his spare time, Collier
acts in and directs plays for the Civic Theater in Lafayette. He has
been acting since high school, and in 1998 he was in a History Channel
documentary about Tecumseh in which he played the part of William Henry
Harrison.
Collier began working with
the Civic Theater in 1986, directing such plays as Neil Simon's "Rumors,"
"A Trip to Bountiful," and "Little Shop of Horrors."
"(Little Shop of Horrors) was a bit difficult because we had a man-eating
plant on stage. But other than that, it was hilarious."
It was then that Collier
met Larry Sommers, the assistant marketing director for Purdue Convocations.
Sommers came to Lafayette in 1993 to become the managing director for
the Civic Theater. He had a background in theater and also began acting
in high school in his first play, "Dracula."
Unfortunately, directing
was taking up too much of Sommers’ time. "It wasn't uncommon to
work six days a week from seven in the morning until 11 at night. And
I wanted to spend some time with my wife and children," said Sommers
So he made the move to Purdue
where his job makes him responsible for letting the public know what
shows and convocations are coming to town.
"I've only been doing this
for about two weeks now," Sommers said. "Before that, I worked at the
Recreational Sports Center under the same title."
Sommers also spends his free
time at the Civic Theater mainly directing, but occasionally acting
as well. He has a master’s degree in directing and has directed
more than 35 plays including "Of Mice and Men" and "Annie
Get Your Gun."
Sommers began acting again
five years ago in plays such as "Talk Radio" and "American
Buffalo."
"Both (acting and directing)
is satisfying, but each is a different satisfaction," Sommers said.
It was only a matter of time
before Sommers and Collier would work together. When they teamed up
for "Greater Tuna," a play about the crazy incidents around
Tuna, the third smallest town in Texas, the result was hilarious.
They are now working on the
sequel, "A Tuna Christmas."
"A Tuna Christmas"
is a two-person comedy that has 22 characters. "We play everything from
little boys to elderly women in the play," Collier explains. "Costume
changes are crazy, and the backstage antics are almost as funny as the
play."
The plot revolves around
Radio Station KOOK and its new personalities, Thurston Wheelis and Arles
Struvie, as they report on the annual Tuna Christmas display contest
and its terrorization by the "Christmas phantom".
In the play, Collier manages
to put his day job to good use by helping with the set design. "I prefer
directing and working behind the scenes over acting," Collier said.
"There aren't so many lines to remember."
"A Tuna Christmas"
begins today and runs for three consecutive weekends at the Civic Theater
at 313 N. 5th St. in Lafayette.
• For more information
or tickets, call 423-PLAY.
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