Duke Law students may not be typical thespians, but the Duke Law Drama Society claims more of them have caught the acting bug than you might think.
The group, resurrected last year by some first- and second-year Duke law students, will stage a production of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit Saturday and Sunday at the Durham Arts Council.
Cast member Jennifer Rosen, a second-year law student, said that being a part of such an upbeat production is a great escape from her demanding course work.
"Sometimes we all need to relax," she said.
"We get asked a lot how we find the time for this and why we bother, and I think the general answer is that we all really enjoy the theater, and it is nice to be able to continue that hobby on an understanding schedule," said second-year law student Nicole Rittenhouse, the club's president and director of Blithe Spirit.
Rigorous academic schedules make local theater too great of a time commitment for law students looking for a creative outlet. But the Duke Law Drama Society allows for more flexibility in rehearsals and performances and requires no experience of its participants.
So that the students
Interest in the group has grown since last year, when it staged four performances of David Ives' All in the Timing for small audiences in the Law School Moot Courtroom. With the experience gained from these smaller performances and skits performed at Admitted Students' Weekend and Orientation, the Duke Law Drama Society felt ready to take on a more demanding project in its second year.
"We are very proud this year to be putting on our first full-scale production," Rittenhouse said.
Blithe Spirit has been "quite an experience" to produce and stage, she explained, because the group does not have easy access to a theater. Although they will perform in downtown Durham, the cast has been rehearsing using a makeshift set in the law school's Blue Lounge three times each week.
Initial financial constraints the Drama Society encountered were alleviated by grants from the Durham Arts Council, the law school's student affairs office and the Duke Bar Association. A cash award the group received for its webpage, as well as funds contributed by society members themselves, allowed the group to put together its biggest production to date.
Club members said they are looking forward to performing this year in a venue which will be much more accessible to the larger Durham community. They hope to foster increased public interest in their group and heighten interaction between Duke law students and community members.
The group's 20 members said the organization has become extremely important to them.
"Law school is an intimidating, adversarial discipline. Acting is something where you're working for the collective, so it's a very satisfying feeling to be a part of a play," Rosen said.
The theater is not so estranged from the courtroom as one might think, Rosen added. Participation in the group helps students "hone skills of projecting and presenting yourself in a certain way" that prove essential for a practicing lawyer.
"We're law students. We like speaking in front of large groups of people and being the center of attention," said first-year law student Philip Bezanson.
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