January 30, 2008

The West Side Story Story

On September 26, 1957, New York audiences first experienced the phenomenon called West Side Story, the updated retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Fast forward to December 4-8, 2007, when the 50-year-old musical came to life again at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College in New York City. This time, Ohio Wesleyan students and alumni were involved in the production, along with students from John Jay College and other GLCA schools, as part of the New York Arts Program.

Recent alumnus Eric Carpenter ’07 was one of those participating. Carpenter played the role of Diesel, a Jet, and also understudied the part of Riff. “It was a great experience,” he says. “I’d done an internship with the New York Arts Program as a senior, but it was different this time. Rather than having to become familiar with all aspects of production, I was able to concentrate fully on the acting process. In addition, this show was independently produced, which made it more professional in scope.”

Although drawn from many different colleges, the cast was 100 percent behind one another. “Every day brought us closer,” Carpenter says. “The gangs are their own kind of brotherhood, if you will, but there was no ‘gang’ rivalry. There was a lot of interaction between the two groups and everyone was involved in making the production work.

“It was wonderful to reconnect with some of the people I’d worked with last year, including director Dana Tarantino,” Carpenter continues. “And it was fabulous to see friends from OWU, most of whom I’ve known for at least three years.”

Other Ohio Wesleyan students and alumni involved in the production were Rachel (Stevens) Bertoglio ’05, assistant director; Adrienne Scott ’08, production manager; Jen Campos ’07, assistant stage manager; Abby Lee ’98, Maria; Rosie Pignataro ’07, Rosalia, a Shark girl; and Chelsea Kilburn ’08, Velma, a Jet girl.

Like many actors, Carpenter has another job. Although he is freelancing with an agency and has received some recent commercial work, he’s also a personal trainer. “Many actors are,” he says. “It’s the kind of job that can be worked around auditions.”

“After 10 years of working out, personal training is a trade I picked up,” Carpenter says. “I like my clientele, and there’s a lot of back-and forth communication that happens between trainer and client. In that regard, the gym can be almost like a stage. And I’d much rather be racking weights in a gym than filing papers in an office.” But perhaps only until Carpenter becomes a household name.

– Gretchen Hirsch