Otterbein’s spring musical, “The Full Monty,” has been the talk of campus this semester for one reason: nudity. Otterbein actors Connor Allston and Kevin Thiel talk about their feelings toward being naked in front of an audience and what goes into making sure the audience doesn’t see too much.
The musical is about a group of friends from Buffalo, NY, who find themselves unemployed with damaged self-images. They decide to make money and restore their confidence by stripping for their community.
Connor Allston, a freshman BFA musical theater major, was aware of the nude scenes when he auditioned for “The Full Monty.”
“I enjoy playing Jerry and this is probably the most risqué and edgy musical that I’ve done,” Allston said.
In the final scene of the musical, the actors strip down to g-strings. However, the audience will not experience a full-frontal view because the lights flood out the actors before the audience has the chance to see anything.
The lighting design in “The Full Monty” plays an important role in the musical. The lighting cues are timed with the music to coordinate with the nude scenes. The actors practiced with clothes to ensure that there are no mishaps.
Andy Baker and Matthew Hazard are the lighting designers for the musical. They were brought into the production as guest designers. Baker is an Otterbein alumnus and is going to graduate school at The Ohio State University. Hazard is a professor at Ohio State.
Director David Caldwell said it is not uncommon to bring guest designers to Otterbein for plays and musicals. Caldwell also noted the importance of the lighting and overall set design in "The Full Monty." He said that the lights not only protect the audience from the “big reveal” at the end of the musical, but they help move the story along by telling the audience where to look and where each scene is located.
Sophomore musical theater major Kevin Thiel talks about the importance of timing their choreography with the lighting.
“We just have to make sure that we really get our counts right so that we don’t actually flash the audience ... The lighting makes sure that the audience doesn’t get to know us too well,” Thiel said.
Another aspect of the nudity scenes is figuring out how to equip the actors with their microphones since they won’t be wearing clothes at times. The costume designers strategized a way for the actors to be heard without having to hold their microphone packs. The wires are wrapped around the brim of the actors’ hats and the microphone drops down, just above their foreheads. This allows them to sing without wearing clothes.
“I’m OK with the nudity. It’s kind of funny because it’s usually one of your worst fears, to be naked on stage, but in this musical it’s OK,” Allston said.
Thiel has been in previous shows that required him to strip down to his boxers, but this is the first show he has been in that requires full nudity. He said that although he is nervous, he is excited to play a role in the show.
“I think it’s going to be really fun once we get past doing it for the very first time, which is probably going to be insanely awkward,” Thiel said.
He said everyone involved with the musical has been supportive toward the actors.
“We haven’t done the full strip yet,” Thiel said. “But with everyone making it a safe and comfortable environment, it’s no big deal.”
“The Full Monty” opens April 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Cowan Hall.
