Nontraditional actors lead in ‘Rappaport’

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN DON RATZLAFF
Director Judy Harder is looking beyond the traditional student body for the lead roles in this year’s Tabor College Homecoming production, “I’m Not Rappaport.”



The humorous play, which will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 5-7, and at 2 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 8, in the Hillsboro High School Auditorium, features the relationship between two New York City senior citizens, Nat and Midge.



“I felt having older actors play those role would add a certain depth and believability to those roles because of their of their life experiences,” Harder said.



Cast in the role of Nat, an 81-year-old waiter who was fired eight years earlier for talking too much to his customers, is Lynn Jost, who teaches Bible and religious studies at Tabor.



Midge is an elderly tenant house superintendent and Nat’s frequent companion in Central Park. He is played by Art Griffin, a Tabor College-Wichita student from Newton.



The two characters develop a friendship as they share their contrasting perspectives on the world, one is a realist and the other an idealist.



“I suppose the most interesting thing about the play for me has been that the character I play is interested in pursuing justice,” Jost said. “He believes it’s a radically different way of living than the way most people live. So he tries to be prophetic while at the same time I think he’s rather cynical about life.



“In that way, I really identify with the character,” he added.



Griffin, who is a classroom paraprofessional at HeartSpring in Wichita, likes his character’s outlook on life.



“He’s willing to believe in people even though there’s something that tells him that he’s being ‘shucked,'” Griffin said. “He has a belief in people and a willingness to help.”



Harder said the personalities and interests of the two lead characters drew her to this production.



“I enjoy the way Nat and Midge relate to each other,” Harder said. “They are unlikely companions who can’t get along with or without each other. The audience will warm to them. I think the play has more depth than some comedies, without seeming too heavy.”



Griffin agrees.



“There’s a lot of give and take between the two of them,” he said of the lead characters. “But the bottom line, from the beginning of the play to the end, I think there’s a humanity that comes through. Relationship would be the key word for me. The two men establish a relationship throughout the play.”



Embodying the nuances of the characters has been a challenge for both Jost and Griffin, neither of whom have had much formal acting experience since their high school days.



Even though both men, at 46 and 48, respectively, are older than traditional college students, it’s still a leap to play men who are in their senior years.



“It’s drama, so we’re not going to be 100 percent realistic,” Jost said. “We won’t quite look as old as we are. We aren’t going to make our voices sound old. But it’s a challenge every night to think about moving and talking and thinking old. But I guess it’s a reminder that there’s some virtue in slowing down.”



Griffin has used an elderly uncle as the source for the sound and mannerisms of his character.



“He’s in his upper 70s, if not low 80s,” Griffin said of his uncle, a retired Navy man. “And he has a lot of attitude. A lot of the voices I do I get directly from him.”



The dialogue between the characters is a significant component of the production. Both men have been challenged by the amount of memorization their roles require of them.



“I spend a lot of time on the lines,” Jost said. “It only really matters four times, I guess, if I’ve got them or not. I make a mistake somewhere along the way every night (of rehearsal). But I’ve been surprised how well it’s come.”



The two actors hope they can express the play’s playful but thoughtful humor to the audience.



“Hopefully, they’ll walk away with a smile,” Griffin said. “I’m hoping this play can present a human side, that’s there a humanness to us all that’s sort of universal.”



Said Jost: “One of the things I’m scared of is that if somethings does turn out to be funny, especially if I hadn’t anticipated it, is laughing along with the audience.



“Art is very funny,” Jost added. “It seems like he just knows what to do with his character. There are time, if I look at him, I just completely crack.”



Aside from being stretched by the challenge of taking on their roles, Jost and Griffin have appreciated the experience of working with the rest of the cast, which includes five traditional Tabor students: Meadow Frey, Tim Balzer, Lorelei Jordan, Brian Mowry and Joe Kaufman.



“One thing that is happening more as we get to the end (of rehearsal) is the camaraderie that’s built within the cast,” Jost said. “That’s the part I really look forward to. It’s been one of the things that I think is a real side benefit of (the experience).”



Said Griffin: “It has been an opportunity to have some fun with a group of folks. Long after I forget the lines I’ve worked so hard to memorize, I will remember the fun I’ve had with these guys.



“The other players are doing a fantastic job,” he added. “You’ve got some really diverse characters there.”



Tickets to “I’m Not Rappaport” can be reserved by calling the Tabor student development office at 947-3121, ext. 1033. The cost is $7 for general admission and $5 for students.

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