Foothills Community Players, Maryville College’s APO to present join production of ‘Little Women’
Feb. 9, 2024
“Little Women,” Louisa May Alcott’s tale of feminine empowerment and sisterhood, has always helped women bond, and now it’s doing the same for Maryville College Theatre Studies students.
As a senior Theatre Studies major, Jenni Cate Rhodes ’24 is also a student worker at the Clayton Center for the Arts. As a theater program alumni, Nicci Williamson Grigsby ’08 serves as the house manager for Clayton Center events, and a conversation about their shared love of the novel led to a joint collaboration that will debut on the Clayton Center stage on Friday, Feb. 16.
Presented by Alpha Psi Omega, the Maryville College theater honor society, and the Blount County-based theatrical troupe Foothills Community Players, the joint production is an adaptation by Brooklyn-based artist Erin M. Riley and produced by Rhodes as her MC senior thesis.
“When Jenni Cate started talking about her thesis, she mentioned to me being very interested in doing a production of ‘Little Women,’ and I brought that idea to the FCP board of directors,” said Grigsby, whose involvement with the company dates back to her time as an undergraduate. “Fast forward to a few discussions later, and both groups agreed that we wanted to make this production happen.”
As a vehicle for student-directed shows and senior thesis performances, APO gives members an opportunity to take the reins of production in a more hands-on way. Visiting Lecturer in Theatre Andy Vaught is the organization’s faculty advisor, but he’s also working to mount an April production on the Clayton Center’s Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre stage of the musical “Oliver!” The collaboration with FCP, according to sophomore Meredith Wynn ’26, presents an opportunity for her and her peers to work with seasoned actors outside of the MC Theatre Department.
“Working with adults who have been doing shows for many years has dramatically broadened my ideas on theater,” said Wynn, who serves as the student assistant director for “Little Women.” She also worked as the assistant stage manager on the world premiere of “Scarlet” by MC alumni M. Nance ’22 last spring, and played the part of Glenna Cooper in the FCP production of Neil Simon’s “Rumors” in the fall of 2022.
“When it comes to this show, I have never had a lot of experience with directing,” Wynn added. “I had done a couple of 10-minute plays in high school and co-directed ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ last fall, but this was the first big play I have gotten to help direct. Nicci has helped me tremendously in learning new directing techniques and the roles involved in that job, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her.
“I have learned more than I could have ever imagined working for FCP. I’ve learned how two different companies can work together to create a performance, I’ve learned substantial amounts of techniques for directing, and I’ve learned a great deal about how non-school-related shows are put together. Seeing many of these behind-the-scenes aspects, choosing set pieces, costume pieces, props, etc., would’ve been difficult without FCP’s involvement.”
And for Grigsby — the director of “Little Women” — maintaining her involvement in the program that helped her launch her own theatrical career continues to pay personal dividends.
“I love working with current students who are passionate about all aspects of theater,” she said. “I was actually in APO and served as president my senior year when I was an MC student, so I do feel fortunate and nostalgic in getting to reconnect with this group again. I see so much potential in the MC students and am thrilled to be given the opportunity to use my experience to contribute to the students’ theatrical education.”
A fresh take on a timeless classic
A coming-of-age novel about the four March sisters — Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy — Alcott’s work details their transition from childhood to adulthood and is considered a literary classic. First published in 1868, its timelessness presents a challenge to theater organizations who want to put their unique stamp on it, but risk alienating audiences if they deviate too much from the source material.
“‘Little Women’ is always a hard show to touch,” Wynn said. “With the beloved characters and the heartbreaking yet incredibly moving storyline, this show is arguably one of today’s most famous plays. In putting on any play, you want to show something different to the audience than what they’ve seen before. (Rhodes) decided to do a version of the play by Erin Riley that involves Jo as a nonbinary person using they/them pronouns throughout.”
“The incredible thing is the story doesn’t really change with this,” Grigsby added. “There is the use of they/them pronouns, but Jo’s story remains the same. I think the author, Erin Riley, provided the description of Jo that Louisa May Alcott was unable to express due to the time period. Based on statements made by Alcott herself, many who love her work suspect that she may have been a part of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Such distinct storytelling devices are the product of collaboration on works that lift up unique voices through original treatments or fresh takes on the classics, and that’s the benefit of local theater, the pair agreed. In 2008, Grigsby pointed out, she was the only Theatre Studies graduate to cross the stage at MC’s annual Commencement ceremony. To see the breadth of talent today, she said, is a testament to the work the College has done to grow the program with its appreciation for unconventional and off-the-beaten-path works and adaptations such as Riley’s take on “Little Women.”
“The talent that I’ve seen over the past few years has been impressive, and we at FCP are always excited when a Maryville College student or an MC theatre alumnus is interested in working with us!” Grigsby said. “I speak on behalf of the FCP board when I say that we absolutely want to continue working with APO. We are honored to share in this production with them and hope they’ll continue to contribute their time and their passion to these collaborations.”
“Little Women” will be staged at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16; 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18, in the Haslam Family Flexible Theatre of the Clayton Center for the Arts on the MC campus. Tickets are $16 for general admission, although the 4 p.m. Feb. 17 performance is a “pay what you can” show that allows patrons to give what they’re comfortable for entry. The 4 p.m. Saturday performance will also feature ASL interpretation provided by Maryville College’s American Sign Language-English Interpreting program of study. MC students, faculty and staff will be admitted free. For more information, call the Clayton Center box office at 865-981-8590 or online at www.claytonartscenter.com.