One of the biggest fears a person in battle can have is thinking the person fighting next to him or her is a spy for the enemy.
“The Spy” tells the story of people fulfilling this fear during the American Revolution. The Lyceum Series presents The Acting Company’s final performance of James Fenimore Cooper’s “The Spy” tonight in Lee Hall’s J.K. Bettersworth Auditorium.
According to a synopsis on The Acting Company’s Web site theactingcompany.org, “Romance, adventure, disguises and the ticking clock of a coming battle all conspire to make “The Spy” a very modern and vivid entertainment.”
Directed by Ian Belknap, the performance puts the audience in neutral ground with Washington’s army as they fight the Redcoats to determine control of the wilderness north of New York City.
The fighting brings double- crossing, family feuds and political division between communities that would normally live in peace with one another. The basis of the plot is the idea no one really is who he or she appears to be. The story is fueled by lies and treachery.
Performing in “The Spy” are actors from TAC, based out of New York City. The company has helped develop actors such as Rainn Wilson, Kevin Kline and Patti LuPone.
TAC cast member William Sturdivant plays Caeser in “The Spy.” His character fights for the colonial army as sergeant of his family. His son betrays his family’s loyalty, fighting for the enemy.
Sturdivant said Caeser is one of the play’s good guys.
“He is very loyal to his family,” he said. “He’s intelligent, he can read and he is a caretaker.”
Coming from North Carolina, Sturdivant has made his mark in the theatre world by becoming the associate artistic director of New American Theatre Project, but he still is available for time-consuming stage performances.
“We started rehearsing… [‘The Spy’] in November and worked about five full weeks, 35-40 hours a week,” he said.
TAC’s last performance of “The Spy” was in New Mexico a few days shy of a month ago. TAC took a break from performing “The Spy,” focusing on its performance of “Henry V.”
“We had two weeks of brushing up while putting on ‘Henry,'” Sturdivant said.
MSU is the fifth stop for TAC’s “The Spy” performance during its 2009 season tour with the closest performance to Starkville being in Virginia.
Sturdivant said student-heavy audiences at college campus venues have been very responsive.
“My performance changes when there is a vocal audience,” he said. “It’s not a good thing or a bad thing; it’s just different playing with audiences’ [responsiveness].”
Freshman history major Anna Stewart said she is going to the play without being required for class.
“I’ve heard people talk about their teachers making them go to the play for extra credit, but I just want to go and see the performance,” she said. “Events from the 20th century are interesting to me because of how different things are from back then.”
Sarah Little, a graduate assistant with the Lyceum Series, said the series chose “The Spy” mainly because it is unlike previous performances chosen in the past.
“[Students get] a different view of the war because it’s told from a different angle,” she said.
Sturdivant shares the stage with many actors, including Matthew Amendt, Freddy Arsenault, Georgia Cohen, Kelley Curran, Rick Ford, Andy Grotelueschen, Carie Kawa, Robert Michael McClure, Samuel Taylor, Chris Thorn and Sonny Valicenti.
“The Spy” starts at 7:30 p.m. Students get in free with their MSU ID and general admission is $15.