Wednesday, March 17, 2010
On the USI stage with Jasmine Ruckriegel
Jasmine Ruckriegel
The seasoned actor is no stranger to learning lines. As early as the age of 10 she earned roles of a pickpocket and an orphan in the musical Oliver staged by the Actors Community Theatre of Jasper. Her mother Mona Ruckriegel was an actor and member of the community theatre and encouraged her daughter to audition. Throughout middle school and high school in Jasper, Jasmine worked in community and high school theatre. She followed her sister Camille to USI and in 2006 auditioned and won the role of Echo in Eleemosynary by Lee Blessing. "Your role in your first show stands out for an actor," she said. "The role of the 16- year-old is near and dear to me." Students studying theatre are introduced to all aspects of staging productions to gain an appreciation of theatre as a whole. Ruckriegel enrolled in labs in management, costume, and scenic design. She learned to sew at a machine while working as a stitcher for Shan Jensen, associate professor of theatre. She has designed costumes for plays and made a vest and parts of the tail coat for Hamlet's costume. She has a broad knowledge of theatre, and the carpentry classes for scenic design were her least favorite. "The power tools scare me, but I'm willing to try." She became proficient in theatre management, helping in the theatre office with selling tickets, scheduling auditions, and writing contracts under the supervision of Amy Estes, the business manager of USI Theatre and New Harmony Theatre. Estes said, " It's been a pleasure watching Jasmine take on one creative challenge after another - sharing the stage with seasoned Equity actors in USI's first Repertory Project during her sophomore year, organizing New Harmony Theatre's New York auditions, learning to create her own costumes, serving as company manager for New Harmony Theatre 2009 season, serving as co-director for the USI Theatre production of A Christmas Carol, and doing it all with the ease and professionalism of someone twice her age. She has become an incredibly well-rounded theatre practitioner, and I think we're all just waiting to see what she will do next." USI produces New Harmony Theatre, a professional summer theatre. Drama students often receive their first professional experience through the summer project. "You earn Equity points when you are cast in Equity shows, like the plays at New Harmony Theatre," said Ruckriegel. "I've earned a point for every week I worked on the Equity stage at New Harmony Theatre. I can become an Equity member candidate with 50 points, and I have approximately 38 points with theatre experience at USI." Students in the USI theatre program take the work of the classroom into practice, staging a season of plays. In the spring season, Equity actors and top theatre students collaborate in The Repertory Project, a classic repertory model with two plays staged by one company of actors performed on alternating nights. Professional actors John Windsor Cunningham and Letia Lang are cast with top drama students in Hamlet and A Doll's House this spring. The production is currently on stage at the Mallette Theatre through April 11. |
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