Ready For Opening Night: Cast members for the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Drama Club's production of "Scapin" are (front row, from left) Chandra Lesniak, Danna Sheridan, David Bander, Chelsea Howard, Meredith Woodard and Michael Nguyen. In the back row (from left) are David Pope, John Jenkinson, Nick Slabaugh, Christian Gage, Andrew Byrley, Matt Melton and Jarod Markley.

"Scapin" Rose-Hulman Drama Club Hatfield Hall Theater Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology 5500 Wabash Ave., Terre Haute, IN 47803 Friday, May 4 – 8 p.m.; Saturday, May 5 – 8 p.m.; Friday, May 11 – 8 p.m.; Saturday, May 12 – 8 p.m. Tickets: $8 for adults; $6 for non-RHIT students and youths; Free for Rose-Hulman Students. Reserve tickets by calling (812) 877-8544

The slapstick comedy concludes another entertaining year for the drama club. Tickets for each show will cost $8 for adults and $6 for non-RHIT students and youths, while being free for Rose-Hulman students. Persons can reserve tickets by calling (812) 877-8544. Tickets will also be available at the door before each show.

Saving the day by the seat of his baggy pants, Scapin sets the stage for fun. The production of Bill Irwin and Mark O’Donnell’s modern spin on Moliere’s classic, Les Fourberries de Scapin, adds vaudeville and silent film comedy inspiration to an age-old carnival of love, revenge and serious silliness.

The wily, witty servant Scapin (senior Christian Gage) helps young lovers out of a jam and revenges his master, staying one step ahead of trouble all the way. In tangled exploits, Scapin and his friends careen (often literally) into blind corners, zany disguises and mistaken identities. With live accompaniment by pianist Michael Nguyen, the characters enthusiastically, often clumsily, scheme, stumble and plot their way toward happy endings, led by Scapin himself.

"What I love most about Scapin is that he's the quintessential, half-bumbling schemer, just barely getting by," says Gage, a veteran of Rose-Hulman Drama Club productions. "Scapin has the power to play the endearing, manipulating puppet master, but at the same time he is able to present (his) vulnerable, underdog and servant side."

The final scene of the first act is a vaudeville/music hall version of Moliere’s famous scene in which Scapin spins a tale of kidnapping and ransom. There is also a final chase and dance among the cast, which, inevitably, becomes the raucous, delightful curtain call.

Director Bunny Nash explains Scapin’s appeal, both historically and in its modern incarnation. "Bill Irwin is like a modern-day vaudevillian and silent film clown, and we don't see a lot of either influence today," she explains. "While the foundation of this story might be French farce, its style is right out of early 20th-century American vaudeville stages and film studios. It's a different kind of comic style, and it requires a different kind of acting. We've been hard at work re-discovering this fading craft, and so far it's paid off in lots of laughter in the rehearsal process."

Senior Nick Slabaugh adds, "With our busy schedules (at Rose-Hulman), I think it's healthy to have a good laugh in the monotony of student life. ‘Scapin’ is just the ticket." Slabaugh has performed in 11 of the 13 drama club productions during his four-year college career.

"It’s intense, it’s fun and it’s filled with lots of great people," he says of his drama club involvement. "It’s a group of people that would hang out even if we weren’t performing in productions . . . It’s the best pastime available."

Other Rose-Hulman students featured in the production are seniors John Jenkinson and Danna Sheridan, juniors David Bander and Chandra Lesniak; sophomores Andrew Byrley and Matt Melton; and freshmen Chelsea Howard, Jarod Markley, David Pope and Meredith Woodard. The technical director is Greg Stump.