An experience that kills - OHIO fine arts students help bring “Sweeney Todd” to life alongside fellow alums and community members

Attend the tale of "Sweeney Todd” from Oct. 18-20 at Stuart's Opera House, which features an array of OHIO faces from current students and employees to alumni among the cast, crew and orchestra. In this major production, students from OHIO’s Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts are getting the opportunity to build their skills in various capacities while working directly within the community.

One of these faces is two-time alumna Samantha Pelham, who portrays Mrs. Lovett. Pelham, who is also the public relations and communication strategist at OHIO, has been participating in the Athens community theater scene since 2019 and is grateful for the amount of opportunities offered in this area both for the community and for students trying to grow their craft.

“We are so lucky to have such exceptional organizations in this area, like Stuart’s Opera House, that offers programming that can get people of all backgrounds and interests involved and connected,” Pelham said. “It’s invigorating as a community member and alum to get to work alongside current students and see all they bring to the table, as well as the relationships and experiences they’re going to take away.”

One of those students is Jaimon Lovins, a junior studying interdisciplinary arts and the actor playing Tobias in the upcoming production. 

“My favorite part of the rehearsal process has been the overwhelming positivity that has been within the cast this entire process,” Lovins said. “It’s just been a joy to work with everyone.”

Along with the lessons he has learned working on the show and the connections formed with alumni, Lovins has enjoyed the chance to interact with other, current OHIO students.

“It’s been a source of connection with those people, to get that extra experience and time in my day to have a reason to vibe together…with people who I wouldn’t usually know within my sphere,” Lovins said.

Katherine Soltis is a junior studying acting and is a featured vocalist in the ensemble of the show, a group of characters which she believes “drives the story along.” Soltis has also enjoyed working with the group of actors working on “Sweeney Todd.” 

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“It’s good to work with people that are not going into the acting industry…people who are adults in the working world that still do theater and…love it and do it because they’re passionate about it,” Soltis said.  

Another OHIO alum and adjunct professor in the School of Music working on the show is its director and conductor, Devin Sudman, who has worked at Stuart’s Opera House since 2015 and has served as Education Director since 2021. In the School of Music he directs OHIO's Bella Voce choir.

“Since 2015, I have always relied on Ohio University, especially for musicians…to give them experiential learning opportunities, job opportunities and also to add another skill to their arsenal,” Sudman said.

One of these OHIO musicians is Adeline Collins, a fifth-year student studying double bass performance and music therapy. Collins is playing double bass in the band of her fourth show at Stuart’s, an experience she has returned to many times for good reason.

“There’s a really good energy when we are all working together and that’s something really enjoyable … it makes it easier to do what you want to do and be artistically free and meld with the rest of the group,” Collins said.

In a group comprised of both community members and OHIO affiliates, Collins has found the benefits of having the experience as a student and enjoys witnessing the combination of talents in the company.

“One of the biggest things I noticed my first rehearsal with the people over at Stuart’s…was the level of mutual respect that went on, which, especially when you’re freelancing as a student, can be really hard,” Collins said.

In addition to these cross-community collaborations, Sudman considers Stuart’s to be “so lucky” that the School of Theater is willing to rent and loan props, costumes and sets to the opera house. For example, approximately 70% of the costumes for “Sweeney Todd” are borrowed from the School of Theater.

“Collaboration is key,” he said. “We don’t do anything here at Stuart’s in a silo, we definitely figure out our community partners, our key interests and we make it all happen together.”

One of the core conceptual collaborations within this particular production is between the show itself and its venue.

“On the first of day of rehearsal, Devin told us to think of the story in a cyclical theme and that we were a cast that has been stuck in the opera house forced to retell this story over and over again,” Pelham added. “…there’s so much history in the space itself and interesting connections you can make within this show that performing it in this venue feels almost haunting.”

Sudman described this cyclical theme as a curse that resulted from no one in the show learning their lessons after allowing their basic and most inhuman hungers motivate them. This theme of hunger is the “driving mechanic” of this production, from the people on the street stricken by famine to the bloodthirsty titular character.

“She (Mrs. Lovett) has this hunger, this lust for the character of Sweeney and for a better life overall,” Pelham said. “She wants security and a life she never had with this man and she’s willing to do pretty much anything to get it.”

This characterization of Mrs. Lovett is part of why Pelham considers her to be one of the most complex and challenging characters to portray, a journey which is just as rewarding as it is difficult.

“My favorite part is definitely the process,” she said. “It’s learning who this character is, working with your fellow castmates to define your relationships with them and then being able to sing this score.”

The score of “Sweeney Todd” is one of Stephen Sondheim’s most challenging works to perform, a sentiment echoed by all three members of the company; Lovins has to manage eleven key changes between two songs alone. However, the intricacy of the music is well worth the challenges.

“Look at what the driving motivations for these characters are and appreciate the little details within the music that amplify those wants – it’s found throughout the entire show,” Pelham advised prospective audience members.

Soltis has also found joy within the challenges of the score.

“’Sweeney Todd’ is hard,” she said. “It’s a hard show to learn…it was definitely challenging, but I like being challenged so I thought the music process was really fun.”

Sudman has made it a “personal mission” to introduce current OHIO students to the opportunities provided by Stuart’s Opera House, from summer internships to performing opportunities throughout the year in order to help them “find what their thing is in the realm of music and performing arts.”

Lovins provides a firsthand account of this mission, describing his work with Stuart’s Opera House as “a wonderfully academically challenging experience.”

“Sweeney Todd” is one of the heavier shows in musical theater and audience members are advised to consider the content warnings of the show before attending but are also encouraged not to shy away from the themes it presents.

“I’m really excited to bring this story to our community, even though it’s not the most positive or uplifting show,” Sudman said. “... I think for where we are in the world right now and the lessons that we need to learn collectively as a society, this story really puts that in our faces and asks us: are we the problem?”

For more information and to purchase tickets visit https://stuartsoperahouse.org/.