TICKETS ARE on sale for the OSU Department of Theatre’s Main Stage production of The Three Musketeers. This production runs at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11-13 and at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 14. Season tickets for general admission are $42; senior (65 and older) are $30 and student season tickets are $25. Single show general admission tickets are $12 each, $8 for seniors (65 and older) and $7 for students.
STILLWATER — Tickets are on sale for the OSU Department of Theatre’s Main Stage production of The Three Musketeers.
The novels by Alexandre Dumas have a wonderful history. The story was originally presented in 1844 in serial form in the newspaper Le Siecle, and follows the early adventures of an actual person, Charles Ogler de Batz de Castelmore, Comte D’Artagnan. He served as the captain of the Musketeers, the personal bodyguards of Louis XIII and his son, Louis XIV, of France. The stories proved so popular that they were reprinted in novel form and were followed by sequels and prequels. The Three Musketeers remains one of the most read French novels reprinted and translated in the world.
The story begins with D’Artagnan, played by sophomore Evan Houck, leaving home to find fame and fortune as a Musketeer of the King’s Guard. D’Artagnan is seen off by his father, played by Ryan Nickell, an alumnus of the theatre department and a former Pistol Pete. D’Artagnan crosses paths and swords with the Cardinal’s henchman, Rochefort, and the Cardinal’s personal hired assassin, Milady. D’Artagnan finds himself in Paris in pursuit of Rochefort, when he inadvertently insults not one but all three of the famous Three Musketeers, who each challenge him to a duel of honor.
Professor Lloyd Caldwell is the director as well as fight choreographer. The cast has taken Caldwell’s Action Acting class where they focus on sword fighting.
Senior student Charli Granato is assistant fight choreographer and is also playing Aramis, one of the Musketeers.Granato is certified in stage combat fighting and has worked with Caldwell for a year. She took the original Action Acting class two years ago.
“Working on this show has been an absolute blast,” Granato said. “I love seeing how far the students have come from their first day in rehearsals forward. It’s been wonderful just getting to work with people who have never had the chance to hold a sword before, and I’m really glad that I get to be a part of this new experience.”
Houck also enjoys the sword fighting involved.
“The sword fighting is really fun. I’ve never been so intensive with that before,” he said. “It’s been a unique and great experience I may not have a chance to do again, so I’m excited to be a part of this.” Houck was cast in Comedy of Errors and She Loves Me last year.
This will be the fourth show for Hayden Yoder, a junior theatre major playing a Musketeer. “Athos is the mysterious one. He is like the guardian of the three, but at the same time, he has his own inner dwellings to deal with.” Yoder has been in past shows Shipwrecked, The Birds and She Loves Me.
Tyrin Baldtrip, a sophomore, called his Musketeer, Porthos, the sarcastic one of the group. “He can still pull out the sword and hold his own though.” Baldtrip has been in previous production of the plays Comedy of Errors, Barefoot in the Park, and She Loves Me.
Director Caldwell said, “There is so much more to the story than thrills and dueling. There is high adventure in the pursuit of justice and loyalty. There is the defense of the weak and perseverance in the face of all obstacles. There is the exploration of honor, and what it means to live an honorable life. And there is love: Love for one’s country. Love for one’s friends. Love for one’s beloved. Love for one’s self. The Three Musketeers is an oft-told tale for a reason. It calls us to live a better version of ourselves.”
This production runs at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11-13 and at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 14. Season tickets are still available, so don’t miss the last chance to purchase a full season pass.
Season tickets for general admission are $42; senior (65 and older) are $30 and student season tickets are $25.
Single show general admission tickets are $12 each, $8 for seniors (65 and older) and $7 for students.
For more information about The Three Musketeers or the other 2018-2019 season productions, visit theatre.okstate.edu or call 405-744-6094.