“The Two Musketeers!” features fast-paced comedy

Press release from Santa Fe College

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A student cast and crew will present “The Two Musketeers!,” a fast-paced comedy by Jon Jory, at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, October 13-14, 2023, in the Jackson N. Sasser Fine Arts Hall at the Northwest Campus of Santa Fe College, 3000 NW 83rd Street, Gainesville.

Tickets are $15 for adults; $9 for seniors, students, military service members, and children 12 and under; and free for SF students, faculty, and staff with college ID cards. Tickets are available from the Fine Arts Hall Box Office at 352-395-4181 or online from Showpass at: https://www.showpass.com/the-two-Musketeers!/.

Based on the classic novel “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas, “The Two Musketeers!” is the story of a company of actors who find themselves short on funds for a production. Since the show must go on, six actors play multiple roles as they fight to save France, their queen, and their own skins. The action includes sword fights, romantic entanglements, plot twists, and even some cross-dressing.

“’The Two Musketeers!’ is a parodic love letter to the endearing and enduring tale of love, loss, betrayal, and adventure that has kept ‘The Three Musketeers’ in the hearts of generations,” said Santa Fe College (SF) Assistant Professor of Theatre Matthew Lindsay, who is directing the comedy. “The challenge of playing multiple roles requires the actors to make quick costume changes and to develop distinctly different voices, gestures, and movements for each of the characters they portray. One of the truly exciting things about this production is the unique opportunity that the students have to learn armed stage combat.”

Local actor David Patrick Ford, a certified stage combat instructor, is teaching cast members the proper use of rapiers—thin, light, stage combat swords that are dulled for safety reasons—and choreographing the sword fights.

“The cast includes students who are majoring in theatre as well as non-majors who have prior theatrical experience, which makes the rehearsal process a creative and exciting playground!” Lindsay exclaimed.

Under the technical theatre staff’s direction, students in SF’s Theatre and Entertainment Technology program, are constructing the sets, painting scenic elements, and helping to run the production during the performances.