By Amanda Dyslin
MANKATO — Amber Maser tried to stay away, but she just couldn’t.
Having graduated as a theater performance major from Minnesota State University in 2005, she went on to work for a children’s theater group called Climb in Inver Grove Heights. But recently she decided to change her focus and go back to school for her teaching license at MSU, hoping to eventually teach high school and maybe direct high school theater.
“That would be my dream,” she said.
So that’s been the plan. She’s been taking classes and pursuing her license and all has been well.
Except for that annoying little itch.
The acting bug doesn’t just shake your hand and wish you well when you decide to leave the stage. It’s a lifetime companion for many, one that will at least make a person consider a reprisal every now and again.
Maser got to thinking about what was going on over there in the MSU theater department, and before she knew it, she found herself auditioning for a role in “Independence,” which opens Thursday in Andreas Theatre.
“It was just weird not having anything to do at night,” Maser said. “I wasn’t stressed enough.”
To her delight, the script for the play was incredible. And Evelyn Briggs, the mother who Maser was cast as, is one of the most intriguing characters.
“Independence” is about a family divided who live in the small town of Independence, Iowa, where Evelyn has lived her whole life. Her oldest daughter, Kess, is a professor at a university in Minneapolis but has returned home upon the request of her sister, Jo, who is pregnant.
Jo is concerned about their mother’s mental health. Evelyn is depressed and has obsessive compulsive disorder.
Kess wants to cut off all family ties. Sherry, the youngest daughter who is salty-tongued and amoral, just wants to make it through high school so she can leave home forever.
“It’s about the need for people to be heard and loved in their family,” said director Stuart Fail.
Fail said Maser has done a good job of jumping back into theater and bringing to life such a complex character without making her seem like “Mommy Dearest.” Maser’s challenge is to make Evelyn’s problems real and disquieting, while still creating a sympathetic character.
“It’s very challenging because she is extremely emotionally disturbed,” Maser said. “It’s challenging, yet rewarding.”
What Maser loves about the script is the complexity of all the characters and the pockets of humor laced with the heavy drama. Maser is a character actress, she said, so working on a character-driven show is always a great opportunity.
Fail chose to direct the production partly because it was an all-female cast. Fail grew up with three sisters and no brothers, so he could relate to the relationship dynamics between the sister characters and Evelyn.
“The primary thing is the way they communicate with each other,” he said. “The play reminds me of my family and vice versa.”
Maser isn’t sure whether she’ll audition for future roles. This might be enough to satisfy that itch for a while, she said.
“I told myself I was just going to concentrate on school,” she said.
We’ll see what her bug has to say about that.
