Volpone
Written by Soph Stentz and Charlie Bliwas
Set in seventeenth-century Venice, Volpone tells the story of the titular character pretending to be on his deathbed to exploit three fortune hunters: Voltore, Corbaccio, and Corvino. Each hopes to inherit Volpone's fortune and showers him with lavish gifts, believing they are his favored heir. Volpone’s cunning servant, Mosca, manipulates the suitors to do immoral deeds, leaving viewers wondering how far will these people go to obtain what they want?
Under the mentorship of Theatre Instructor Gulshirin Dubash, this satirical comedy was brought to life with inspiration from Salvador Dalí. Over the summer, Gulsh traveled to Spain and visited the Dalí museum, and the set design was directly influenced by what she saw. The Commedia dell’Arte performance style was also a major influence on this show. There are Commedia archetypes that all of the actors in the cast have adapted and applied to the show. Volpone went up April 18-20.
The Interlochen Times spoke with Logan Turk, who portrayed Volpone about what the process was like.
“[Having a lead role with Old English language] was very challenging. It was the first time I’ve ever done anything like this. I have very little practice with classical text...it was an exciting challenge to get to attack this role and put to use new skills I’ve learned this year,” said Logan.
“And then when David Monte, the former head of theater, came in, that was very helpful because he’s such an expert on dissecting that language.”
Logan commented that his Mask and Stage Movement classes with Gulsh helped him the most for this role, noting that “she’s incredible to work with.” He described the most enjoyable part of the production as simply getting to create a piece of art with such amazing people: “The amount of time and energy that so many people in this cast put in…it’s truly mind boggling…it’s so exciting that people care so much about making a product that really hits for people that watch it.”
The production offered roles for growth in multiple areas, for students of multiple grades. Not only were the actors given the challenge to tackle such a difficult show, but the production’s stage manager and assistant stage manager, Lucy Beckett-Ball and Maeve Linehan, were given the challenge to make sure everything was running smoothly from the technical standpoint.
Rosie Curwood, a second year senior Theatre major, commented on the experience of being in the audience, saying, “I love how from the preshow to the end of the show, you’re completely hooked. I think the world was really immersive.”
In all, Volpone served as a truly meaningful experience, both for the artists who created the piece, and for the audience members who got to witness the story. The collaborative effort to give life to such a complicated show yielded to great, artistic fulfillment. Volpone will go down in Interlochen history as a legendary show in the years to come.