Story by Bridgette McAuliffe, Staff writer

The Murray State theatre students performed ‘Stupid F*#&%$g Bird’ by Aaron Posner, a contemporary adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull.” The performance took place in the Wilson Hall Studio Theatre Oct. 17 through Oct. 20.

Students spent weeks delving into their characters and working through the rehearsal process, even reading “The Seagull” as context for the show.

Katie Dugger, sophomore from Murray, described the show as a “love hexagon.”

“Really, the play is about love, life, heartbreak, mistakes and finding the little things in between,” Dugger said.

‘Stupid F*#&%$g Bird’ was Dugger’s first production at Murray State and she said it was pretty different than any other production she’s done. She played the character Mash, who she described as dark and mopey but knows who she is and what she believes.

“Outside she might seem like she’s a pessimistic brat, but underneath she is creative, caring, passionate and loyal,” Dugger said.

Dugger’s favorite part of being Mash was playing the character’s music.

“I thought that was super special because not only did she get to pour her heart out every song, she got to reveal the minds of the other characters as well,” Dugger said. “I’ve played ukulele for three years and was thrilled with the idea of being not only the character but the musician as well.”

Michael Moreno, sophomore from Louisville, Kentucky, spent time looking deeply into the mindset of his character, Con, in order to prepare himself for the role.

“I looked at what the character wanted the most and how far he was willing to go to achieve it,” Moreno said. “I would also often isolate myself from the cast to get into a very depressed mindset, which helped me figure out some key aspects of the character.”

The cast had an intensive 3-day-per-week rehearsal schedule and Moreno said his favorite part of that process was getting to bond with his fellow cast members during that time.

“I love getting to be in the moment with the other actors and getting to express myself in ways I never thought possible,” Moreno said.

Macy Betz, senior from Evansville, Indiana, was a crew member for the production. While she was setting up props and making sure everything was ready to go from start to end, Betz enjoyed being able to watch the action from behind the scenes.

“My favorite part of working on the production was getting to watch the different scenes behind the curtains and getting to witness such amazing acting come from amazing people,” Betz said.

Betz said she hopes that Murray State can continue to see more of these kinds of productions in the future at Murray State.

“I hope we can see where it crosses the line of comfortability and addresses issues that might make people uneasy or question things in an interactive and comedic way,” Betz said.

Daryl Phillipy, associate professor of theatre, was the director of the show.

“I had a great group of actors that made a really great ensemble and were all really dedicated to the play,” Phillipy said. “The whole idea that I was working on a great play inspired by a great playwright was challenging but was also educational.”

For more information on upcoming theatre department events, visit https://murraystatetickets.universitytickets.com/w/default.aspx. Tickets are free for Murray State students.