Nikki Fox/DN
AMY JIRSA (left) and Kristopher Gordon Kling struggle for the leash during a scene from A.R. Gurney’s play
“Sylvia,” running today through Saturday at Studio Theatre in the Temple Building.
Student staged as canine
ByLizaHoltmeier
Senior Reporter
She barks at cats. She tugs at her
leash. She jumps on the couch.
But she is not a dog.
She is a junior theater major at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and
her name is Amy Jirsa.
Jirsa plays a dog named Sylvia in
the UNL Theatrix production of A.R.
Gurney’s play “Sylvia,” which opens
tonight in the Temple Building’s
Studio Theatre.
me play, directed by K.athy
Dudley, tells the story of Greg - an
unhappy financial trader who finds a
dog named Sylvia in the park. Greg
brings Sylvia home, but his wife,
Kate, is less than pleased with the sit
uation. Kate views Sylvia as a hassle
and a distraction. As Greg obsesses
more and more about Sylvia, Kate
becomes more and more jealous.
The play’s cast said they had been
challenged to establish relationships with
a character who was supposed to be a dog.
To make the character of Sylvia
real, Dudley and Jirsa translated
Sylvia’s actions into human terms.
Instead of licking characters like a
dog, Sylvia gives them hugs and kiss
es. Instead of a dog collar, Sylvia
wears a locket.
“When you watch (the play), I
think you forget that (Sylvia) is a
dog,” Jirsa said. “She’s just a charac
ter who can’t ignore her instincts. Her
intentions are completely innocent.”
Kris Kling, who plays Greg,
described Sylvia as a person with a
dog attitude.
“Greg may scratch Sylvia behind
fcfc
(Sylvia) is never without energy. She is all
over the stage and crazy and loud and
obnoxious
Amy Jirsa
actress who plays ‘Sylvia’
the ears, but I think he sees her as
another woman,” Kling said. “She
combines human characteristics with
animal ones.”
However, Amy Rafa, who plays
Kate, said she decided early on to view
Sylvia as more of a child than a dog.
“She constantly needs attention
and care,” Rafa said. “The way Kate
relates with her is, therefore, more
like an adult with a child.”
Jirsa said playing a dog chal
lenged her to find new levels within a
character.
“(Sylvia) is never without ener
gy,” Jirsa said. “She is all over the
stage and crazy and loud and obnox
ious, but she wants real things like
security and love.”
Jirsa added that she identified
with Sylvia’s needs and the way she
followed her instincts.
“She’s not selfish,” Jirsa said.
“She just goes for what she wants.
She can’t understand why she should
n’t have what she needs.”
Dudley said the way the actors
identified with their characters was
representative of the growth she had
seen during the rehearsal process.
“Every night has been a journey,”
she said. “Early on, I could tell the
cast knew who their characters were
vocally. Then, I could see a physical
progression. Eventually, the scenes
became identifiable units where you
could see the characters trying to get
what they want.”
Chris Wachholz, who plays three
characters, said Dudley’s directing
style helped the actors make the pro
gression. By being receptive to the
cast’s ideas and opinions, Dudley
made the actors feel more involved in
the production, Wachholz said
While directing the show, Dudley
tried to emphasize the play’s deeper
meanings about sharing through the
production’s technical aspects, she
said. All the scenes share the same
basic set, and chairs and couches
double for desks and beds.
“When you care about somebody,
you’re goirig to share things that you
didn’t necessarily want to or plan on
sharing,” Dudley said. “We’ve tried
to make the entire show indicative of
that.”
“Sylvia” runs tonight and Friday
night at 8, and Saturday at 7 p.m. and
10 p.m. Tickets are $3 at the door.
Though a comedy, the play contains
language that may not be suitable for
children.
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