Spotlight: Q & A with Amy Pinney, director of the upcoming play the “Wedding Singer“

Q:What encouraged you to choose “The Wedding Singer” for this year’s first large production?

A: We decide our season about a year in advance, and the department chooses it altogether. I collaborate with Dr. Wendy Mullen in music, who determines the musical. Before we choose it, I collaborate with the designers to see what is feasible and also enjoyable. We meet several times to talk through and it’s something we really like. Mainly, we chose it because it’s a good match for the department right now. Our department has grown a lot the past few years, and there is a lot of energy in that growth. The payoff from all the work we’re doing felt, to me, that a celebration-type show was in order.

 

Q: Have we ever done “The Wedding Singer” at GC before and, if not, are there any elements of the performance that we can expect to see differ from the well-known movie?

A: We are doing the Broadway musical based on the movie. The movie came first, and there are significant differences in the movie script and the musical. I think that the musical is richer. The characters are more real. We dive deeper into the relationships in the musical. All of the music in the musical is original with the exception of two songs from the movie that Adam Sandler sang. One of them is “Grow Old with You” and the other is “Somebody Kill Me.”

 

Q: When was “The Wedding Singer” first performed with it coming after the famous movie? With it being so new, is it a performance you think the community will find modern and relatable?

A: It opened on Broadway in 2006, and I definitely think students will be very interested.

 

Q: What are you looking forward to the most in this performance?

A: I’m most excited for the campus community and the Milledgeville community to see the amazing work these kids are doing. I see it in class everyday, so I’m so excited for other people to see what they can do. That’s what I look forward to the most. This particular show is not only a lot of fun and not only am I working with 50 dedicated people, but these actors are not only invested in the show. They are deeply devoted to each other’s success.

 

Q: Is there anything that you personally are doing to encourage the cast to do anything unique to prepare for the performance?

A: When we do musicals, we have instituted the annual musical boot camp. We come back from Christmas break a week early. Beginning on Jan. 3 we started meeting for ten hours a day. Twenty-five people came back early from break to work on this production.

 

Q: How do you expect the audience to react or feel about the performance? Are there any particular emotional undertones present?

A: I expect them to feel joyful and uplifted. I expect them to laugh a lot, and for them to be moved. The show celebrates all kinds of love. I expect them to care deeply about these characters. When I cast the show, I cast the people I did because I needed them to be real and honest. “The Wedding Singer” is about real people.

 

Q: Aside from the Department of Theatre’s passionate reputation, if you could give students one outstanding reason to attend, what would it be?

A: It’s a perfect date night. It’s fantastic, fun music and the show is hilarious.