SPOTLIGHT: Emily A. Cregg '09

To Emily A. Cregg ’09, a History of Art and Architecture concentrator, the spring semester has presented a new experience in campus theater in the form of “Reception,” a play debuting in the Loeb Experimental Theatre.

'The play follows a party that’s taking place before a wedding, which the mother of the bride is holding in her Boston apartment, and she’s invited all her childhood friends. It’s a volatile mix of personalities, and hilarious chaos ensues. My character’s name is Val, short for Valerie. She’s the younger sister of the bride, exasperated at her mother and trying to keep things in control, but they spiral out of control anyway.'

As “Reception” enters its last week before production, Cregg remains enthusiastic despite the pressures of the final rehearsals. She attributes this confidence to the able direction of Simon N. Nicholas ’07.

'Simon’s very laid back, which is great in a director because once you get down to Tech Week and it seems that every little thing is going wrong, it’s great to have a director with a handle on things.'

Cregg reflects on rehearsal as a melting pot of different levels of college acting expertise.

'It’s a great cast…We really have a combination of people who are new to Harvard theater and people who are veterans. If you’re on the outside, it can seem difficult to break in, but it’s been a great experience in bringing together the old and the new, when coming into HRDC [Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club] can seem a little daunting sometimes.'

It’s been nearly two years since Cregg’s own introduction to HRDC, and in that time she has covered a wide range of theatrical territory, including last year’s productions of “Richard II” and “The Rocky Horror Show,” and this fall’s “Autobahn: A Play Cycle.” But her Harvard performances haven’t been confined to acting—she has also appeared in last spring’s “Dancers’ Viewpointe VI” and November’s dance showcase “American Grace.”

'I like to stay involved as much as I can, but it’s nice when you can marry the two [dance and theater]. ‘American Grace’ was a good example of this. It was held on the Loeb Mainstage, which is traditionally a theater space. The new College Theatre hopefully will also be a place where music and dance and theater can be side by side. It’s nice to see that the Loeb is not locked in purely to straight drama, but can also bring in dance, allowing dance the wider audiences that the location affords.'

Cregg seems to be more interested in the merits of a performance than the size of its audience, however. She recalls her involvement in “Autobahn” as her favorite Harvard role.

'"Autobahn" was my first chance to tackle something really challenging. I got to portray two very different characters, with very different personalities—one younger character getting manipulated, and the other was sort of the manipulator.'

In contrast to those extremes, Cregg’s character in “Reception” tries to steer events in the play but finds this to be a difficult task. Valerie is less manipulative and more quietly well-intentioned, Cregg says. She also sees some parallels between Valerie’s mediator persona and her own.

'The play is filled with very large personalities, and Val’s sort of a more understated character, trying to hold things together. I think I’m also not usually the largest character in the room. She has a sense of humor, and despite how overwhelmed she is, she’s able to keep things in perspective, and that’s a quality worth emulating.'

“Reception” will run in the Loeb Ex from April 5-7 at 7:30 pm.