Evyn Whiteley, a sophomore theater major at Saint Michael's, landed a part as Annie in the show Over the Pub which is being staged at the Saint Michael's Playhouse, July 18 to 28. The Playhouse, a professional summer theater owned and operated by the college under Actor's Equity Association, is allowed to hire a limited number of non-equity (non-union) actors over the course of the summer, and Ms. Whitely secured one of those coveted positions.
Ms. Whiteley, the daughter of Brian and Kimberly Whiteley of Ashland, MA, graduated from Ashland High School in 2010 before coming to Saint Michael's. She plays Annie, one of the four children of the Murphy family in Over the Pub, an inspiring Irish comedy called "a warm loving look at Ireland, family, and growing up." Set in Cork in 1963, the play is about Pat and Ellen Murphy who live above their pub with their four children, aged 12 to 16. Each offspring is hell-bent, or at least Purgatory-bent, on making mischief. Toss in a septuagenarian nun who’s devilish with a ruler, everyone’s concerns about faith and sex and family relations, and it's a hilarious feast, said one critic.
"I'm thrilled to be a part of this year's summer season," Ms. Whiteley said. She played impressive parts in the Saint Michael's College productions of APPetite and Crimes of the Heart during the academic year, and in Anything Goes and The Skin of our Teeth at Ashland High School. She was cast last summer as the original off-Broadway Isle in the new musical Spring Awakening.
Ms. Whiteley is also the SMC student administrative intern for the Playhouse this summer. As such, she works in the box office, answers the phones, interacts with customers, and occasionally works in the shop to aid in the production of sets for each show. The real opportunity for her, though, comes having landed a role in the Playhouse's production of Over the Pub.
"The opportunity to rehearse and mount a show in two weeks' time is so great and so different from the school year," Ms. Whiteley said. "And to work with professionals is such an amazing learning experience." She said she plans to move to Los Angeles to continue to perform after college.
(The Murphy children in the show Over the Pub, including Evyn Whiteley, playing Annie.)
Playhouse background
Founded in 1947, Saint Michael's Playhouse features talent from Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theaters nationwide and attracts approximately 16,000 theatergoers each season. An auxiliary enterprise of Saint Michael's College, the Playhouse is greater Burlington's only actors' Equity resident theater company and operates under contract with Actors' Equity Association in New York City. At the same time, Saint Michael's College students have the opportunity to learn from the pros through internships in technical theater, costuming, lighting, set construction, publicity, and occasionally, on-stage roles.