'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'

prepares to sizzle

By Ashley Lowe

Ask anyone involved in the upcoming “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” about the play, and they will tell you it has taken their whole heart and spirit, as well as most of their time—all things director Kathleen McKinley is more than happy to give.

“ When rehearsals started, I basically told my family ‘I’ll see you in two months,’” McKinley said. “When I direct, it takes over my life. I hardly get to see my family, but they understand.”

“ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” is the story of a family who has been lying to each other, and is forced to face the truth.

“ Tennessee Williams writes with a very unique poetic style,” McKinley said. “The characters are passionate and demanding.”

Maggie, played by Kimberly Wood, wants desperately to understand why her husband Brick, played by Blake Ellis, refuses to make love to her and has turned into an alcoholic. She calls herself a restless cat on a hot tin roof because she is consumed by her longing for love and envy of other women who have children.

Maggie believes Brick’s dissolution is because of the suicide of his best friend. But it is Big Daddy, played by Daniel More, who forces his son to face the truth. In return, the bitter son blurts out to his father what his doctor and everyone else have been trying to conceal—he is dying of cancer.

“ The play is about family and the kind of deceptions, envies, immense love and emotional brutalities they deal with,” McKinley said. “It’s about human ability to face the truth about yourself and your family. Most of us are on that journey, so audiences will definitely be able to relate.”

The characters in the play are wonderfully challenging, McKinley said. They play has meaty parts, meaning the actors have “a lot to chew on.”

“ The characters are heroic,” McKinley said. “They desperately fight for love money, respect and power. They go after what they think they need, and try not to reveal family secrets.”

Andriana Cisneros plays Big Mama, the wife who refuses to accept her husband’s medical problem. To prepare for the role, Cisneros studied dialect tapes, read the play again and again and studied the mindset of the character. According to Cisneros, her character is someone a lot of people can relate to.

“ Big Mama is a woman who is in love with a man that has never returned the feelings,” Cisneros said. “Big Daddy is very mean to her and she just laughs it off. People will be able to relate to her heartache.”

The play also includes CJ Dion as Grooper and Sara Jane Katen as Mae. They will play the greedy older son and his wife. Ben Parks plays Dr. Baughs, the doctor persuaded to lie about Big Daddy’s condition and Jacob Savala plays Rev. Tooker, who obsesses about a bequest from Big Daddy’s estate. Brandon Linder and Kirstie Hettinga play Lacey and Sookey, plantation servants.

As a student actor, Cisneros has not only had to attend four-hour rehearsals five days a week and classes, but has also had to balance her job at Starbucks.

“ I have to be at Starbucks at 5 a.m., go to classes and then go to rehearsals,” Cisneros said. “It is very tiring, some days are longer than others. I just try to get as much rest as possible.”

McKinley has been amazed by the actors’ dedication and willingness to give up a lot of their time.

“ We ask so much of them,” McKinley said. “They are students and have conflicts, yet they are so committed and work so hard. They are very involved in acting and very talented.”

Dealing with nerves is something all actors have to do. It is something that never goes away, no matter how many plays you do, Cisneros said. But actors all learn to deal with those nerves in different ways.

“ I like to stand offstage in a dark corner and listen to the audience,” Cisneros said. “When I can feel their energy, it helps me focus.”

McKinley has put a lot of work into this play. She started last May talking with designers. In January she cast the parts and started rehearsals five days week. Now that the play is about to be performed, McKinley will get to see the hard work of all the people involved.

“ As director, I love watching the production grow and grow and finally come together,” McKinley said. “It is an amazing collaboration. The way it all comes together is almost magical.”