UA’s Story Behind the Story: Q&As with The Philadelphia Story Cast, Crew

UA’s Story Behind the Story: Q&As with The Philadelphia Story Cast, Crew

Azaline Gunn fell in love with the technical side of theater while in high school.

Students from The University of Alabama’s Department of Theatre and Dance will bring to life “The Philadelphia Story” with opening night slated for Valentine’s Day.

Set in 1930s Philadelphia, the romantic comedy follows the privileged daughter of the Lord family who created quite the scandal, divorcing her husband and arranging to remarry. While theatergoers will get to know the characters being portrayed on stage, we’d like to take you behind-the-scenes for a deeper look into the students who helped bring the story to life.

Azaline Gunn, stage manager
Senior
Double major in theater and computer science 

Q: How did you get into theater? 

A: I got involved in theater in junior high because my mom told me I talked too much and too loudly, so I had to find a way to make a career out of it. After a few stage roles in high school, I started to explore the technical side more and more. Once I got to college, I was just a computer science major, but I genuinely missed theater, and I loved the classes I was taking for that minor so much more than all the other classes I was taking. I switched to a full-time theater student by my second semester.

Q: What would you like to do after graduation? 

A: I am hoping to travel to different jobs across the country for a while, and maybe even overseas. There is a lot to be learned about how other companies operate, and through that I can learn how I best operate, as well. Eventually, I do want to settle into a good regional or off-Broadway company as a resident stage manager.

Q: What skills do you learn while participating in the varied productions and how do those skills help prepare you for your future career goals?

A: Communication and people management are two things that you can’t learn just from studying books and essays on the craft. I have had no issues perfecting spreadsheets and call books and paperwork on my own time, in the quiet of the theater after everyone else has gone home. However, I’ve only learned the best ways to really effectively communicate with the company first-hand through productions involving all different dynamics of people.

Q: At the end of this production, how many hours would you have spent working on it?

A: I will have spent about 30 to 35 hours a week until tech week, and then upwards of 40 to 45+ during tech week and show week. Not to mention time spent outside of the theater where my ASMs (Kelsey Bruce and Taylor Dial) and I have worked through paperwork. From first-read through to closing night, it will be well over 200+ hours.

Q: Of all the productions you have been a part of, what was your favorite and why?

A: I worked a production last spring called “Arcadia” by Tom Stoppard in the Allen-Bales Theatre. It was an intimate space, which led to more personal work among the cast during rehearsals. It was also a really beautiful piece of literature. I was working almost entirely with graduate and undergraduate students, as well as faculty only being our advisers and supervisors throughout the process. It’s a show and cast I would work with over and over again.

“The Philadelphia Story” runs Feb. 14-18 with a 7:30 p.m. showtime and a 2:30 p.m. matinee on Feb. 19 at the Marian Gallaway Theatre. For more info, visit https://theatre.ua.edu/productions/the-philadelphia-story/.

Contact

Kim Eaton, UA media relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu