By Taquana Stanford

With a mere five weeks to rehearse and a total budget of a $175 dollars, it may be hard to believe that the students of the University’s drama department could pull off a production of “Six Characters in Search of an Author” by Luigi Pirandello.

Written in 1921, “Six Characters in Search of an Author” was first proposed as a possibility for the 2007-2008 production lineup by department Chairperson Jean Dobie Giebel.

Giebel had hopes of directing, but because of the show’s early production, she left the job in the hands of Cindy Rosenthal, an associate professor and teaching fellow of drama and dance. Rosenthal says the play has a philosophical and mysterious outlook on life, adding that its is sort of scary to her but altogether intriguing.

“This was a good time to do this play for me and for Hofstra University,” Rosenthal says, having just performed in Pirandello’s “Henry IV.” She also had the opportunity to visit the playwright’s home in Rome.

Rosenthal confesses to facing some initial problems. The play was originally written in Italian, and most translations come from British translators. Rosenthal realized finding a version that sounded American was going to be hard. On the recommendation of a colleague, she chose a translation by Paul Avila Mayer.

Her next challenge was the time constraint. As the first play of the semester, referred to as the “workshop” production, Rosenthal and her cast did not have a long time to prepare. As a result, the play focuses on the acting rather than on the physical elements of the production. Rosenthal also cut 40 minutes from the play, but she worked hard to keep Pirandello’s intent.

“I didn’t want to lose the Pirandello spirit,” she says.

Rosenthal also found herself unable to set the play in the time period she most desired because of financial restrictions. She settled on setting the story in present day. Rosenthal, working within her constraints, thought of other ways in which she could make a real statement with the production.

“It is important to me that the drama department productions reflect the Hofstra student body and the Hofstra community and also our drama department,” she says.

So Rosenthal ventured into cross-gender casting. She cast a role written for a male with a female student.

Elena Offerman, a senior drama major, was given the role of the director, traditionally cast as an old white man.

“I couldn’t imagine being in any other play or role this semester,” Offerman says. “It has really taught me a lot.”

It was not a surprise to Offerman that she would face some difficulty with her character development. She credits Rosenthal as a guiding light. A director in real life, Rosenthal, helped Offerman understand the director character in “Six Characters in Search of an Author.”

“I have a great cast” says Rosenthal, whose goal during any production’s rehearsal is a collaborative learning experience. This went over well with her actors, who say the experience has been great overall.

Rafael Benoit, a junior drama major, plays one of the principle characters, the father. While he said he was familiar with the play before he auditioned, he never imagined falling into the role of the father. “I was just really looking for work. If I was a janitor that had to sweep the stage, I was going to be the best janitor on the stage,” Benoit says. He says the role is emotionally binding, as he continues to discover new things about his character everyday.

Rosenthal made rehearsals for her actors not only educational but enjoyable.

“I love the rehearsal process” says Landeric Pierre, a junior drama major. Pierre had desired the role of the father, but once he got the part of the leading man, he fell in love with it. Given room to play around with the lead character, Pierre says making new choices with his character and working off others is the best part of his experience.

Oct. 12 and 13 at 8 p.m., and Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. Black Box Theater, New Academic Building, South Campus. Tickets are free with current Hofstra ID; $10 general admission; $8 for non-Hofstra students and citizens over 65.