Jenna Bacon, Campus Carrier arts and living editor

Ali Luciani, Campus Carrier asst. arts and living editor

Rome Little Theatre (RLT) will present their holiday production, “A Tuna Christmas,” on Friday. The show will run through Dec. 14 at the DeSoto Theatre with performances on Fridays and Saturdays beginning at 7:30 p.m. and at 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. With a cast of only four actors, the fast-paced comedy brings more than twenty colorful Texas characters to life, showcasing the energy and creativity of community theatre. 

This show will mark first-time cast member Ariah Gonzales’s RLT debut. Gonzales took a chance on auditioning, not expecting to land a role, only to wind up playing six different characters. According to Gonzales, the audition process consisted of three segments. First, the auditionees took part in some improvisational acting. The play features minimal props, so it was important that the cast was able to mime certain actions. Next, the auditionees were asked to perform a monologue. 

“I just tried to pick a monologue that incorporated different parts of a character’s conversation so they could see my ability to talk in different tones to kind of simulate as if I were different characters within just the one monologue,” Gonzales said. 

Finally, auditionees were asked to perform three different scenes.

“They had us do three scenes, being a different character each time and also having a different scene partner each time,” Gonzales said. “This was to see how we could play off each other and how we could demonstrate pretty quickly the differences in the characters we played each time.”  

Actor Joel Rose shared some of the unique challenges of playing multiple characters’ presents. According to Rose, the show challenges him to move swiftly between six different characters, each with their own unique personality, voice and physical presence.

“I’m playing three men and three women, which is challenging,” Rose said. “It’s just about getting in touch and finding that role within yourself and projecting and performing it.” 

For Rose, one of the joys of rehearsal has been watching his fellow actors navigate similar challenges. One of Rose’s castmates, Justen Wheat, portrays all three of the children belonging to Rose’s character, Bertha.

“It was really a lot of fun to watch him develop those characters,” Rose said. “He has just done an excellent job.”

While the show itself is a comedy, that doesn’t keep it from touching on some serious topics. According to Assistant Director and Production Stage Manager Amy Mendes, the show uses satire as a way to address both the positive and negative aspects of Southern culture. 

“It sort of satirizes the good, the bad and the ugly of small-town Southern life, so there are elements of the show that are clearly satirizing sort of small-town small-mindedness or racism,” Mendes said. “I’m hoping that our audience is going to see that and understand that we are satirizing those things, not celebrating them.”

Another light-hearted, humorous aspect of the show is the various costume changes that performers do for each of their characters. As audiences watch actors don various wigs, attire, and body padding, they will surely chuckle to themselves at the spectacle. While these quick changes may be vastly entertaining, they are no easy feat. 

“We’re slapping on wigs and body padding and stuff off stage, so the technical aspects of that are challenging,” Mendes said. “But I think that things have gone really well and I’m so proud of this cast because they’ve worked so hard.”

Beyond the satire, the heart of the show lies in the performers’ connection with the audience as well as with each other. According to Rose, though many of the roles he plays are exaggerated or funny, they’re all rooted in a common message.

“Make the most of Christmas in your own special way,” Rose said. “Be yourself, find the joy.”

Rose said community theatre has been a meaningful part of his life for a long time, spanning decades and multiple roles. Despite all his experience, this show holds particular significance.  

“I’m finally making my stage debut on the Rome stage,” Rose said. “I couldn’t be more excited.”

Mendes said that community theatre thrives on passion rather than credentials. She also notes the joy of seeing newcomers thrive onstage, as two cast members in this production have never performed in a show before.

“I love that aspect of community theater that it really, it’s not just theater for the community,” Mendes said. “It’s theater of the community. The community is doing it.”