Ohio University’s student theater group Lost Flamingo Company will present The Nerd on Friday and Saturday at Baker Center Theatre for Dads Weekend.
Schuyler Fastenau said to “expect the unexpected” during the Lost Flamingo Company’s production of The Nerd.
“Expect laughter, obviously laughter,” Fastenau, director of The Nerd, said. “Expect the unexpected, all around good feelings and a happy ending. You will leave feeling very happy.”
The Ohio University student theater troupe will perform its production of The Nerd on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. in Baker Center Theatre.
The play portrays the story of Willum Cubbert, an up-and-coming architect and Vietnam War veteran. Willum idolizes Rick Steadman, a man he’s never met who saved his life in Vietnam. But when Rick shows up to Willum’s party, it becomes apparent that Rick is just a scrawny, irritating and socially awkward nerd who quickly outstays his welcome.
Sarah Pinter, president of LFC, said the audience should expect to be entertained not only by the actors but also playwright Larry Shue’s humor.
“Our actors have been hard at work for the past 11 weeks to bring patrons a high-quality production. Patrons can expect to laugh the night away,” Pinter, a junior studying statistics and environmental and plant biology, said. “Larry Shue’s writing and characters are so lively, feisty and eccentric that the audience surely has never before seen anything quite like it. The comedic timing of the writer and performers alike is absolutely spot-on, and is sure to thrill anyone who comes to see it.”
The production of The Nerd may have been the best choice for Dads Weekend, Fastenau said, because of its balance between cast members and storylines.
“Our other plays that we will be presenting are more female heavy,” Fastenau, the senior studying journalism and screenwriting and production, said. “There are four guys in this play and it just helps to balance the show’s comedy than with our other shows that are more drama and female heavy.”
Trevor Walsh, who will play Willum, said he is anxious but feels the role will challenge him.
“I'm a little nervous, even though I’ve been in LFC productions in the past,” Walsh, a junior studying accounting and management information systems, said. “But I feel this role and performing with LFC is a great way to challenge myself.”
Walsh said he also hopes the audience sees how both Willum and Rick impact and change their perceptions of each other throughout the show.
“The audience will leave the show with a good sense of humor,” he said. “They may be surprised by it and ask what’s going on, but they will also realize how the characters change each other and how their friendship evolves.”
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