Adam Noble, a fresh face to the School of Theatre and Dance but no stranger to acting, teaching or directing, directed his first play, “The Beaux’ Stratagem.”
The associate professor of acting and movement graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in English in 1995 and obtained an M.F.A in theatre from the University of Washington in Seattle in 2005.
“Movement is referred to as the physical side of the craft. I teach actors how to be in tune with their bodies and how to express themselves with creativity and precision,” Noble said.
Noble has studied martial arts his entire life and also teaches stage combat in which students learn how to play with swords if their role requires.
Born in Seldovia, Alaska, a small fishing town, Noble and his family moved about 15 times before he was 17.
“Theatre had always been something I did as an extracurricular activity to make me look well-rounded on a med school application,” Noble said. “But it was also something where I could find an instant family.”
The Daily Cougar had a chance to talk with Adam Noble about directing his first play at UH.
The Daily Cougar: In a few sentences, how would you describe the plot of “The Beaux’ Stratagem”?
Adam Noble: Two men decide to bamboozle a rich heiress and steal her money, but in the process, they fall in love with girls they meet along their way and realize that money is not what is important.
TDC: What interests you the most about this play?
AN: What interests me the most is the way people are characterized and the way that nothing has changed. This play was originally created in 1707, and these people seem like people we can see today. Everybody has shades of gray up on stage — even heroes are not perfect heroes; everybody is out for themselves, everybody is trying to claw their way to the top. The thing that differentiates a hero from a villain is a sense of honor — willingness to, in the face of what they want to happen, is to do what is right. The villains are going to do what they want no matter and heroes are willing to relinquish their dreams in order to do what is right. All of the characters are flawed; they all have shades of gray.
TDC: What do you hope to happen on the play’s opening night?
AN: I hope everyone has fun. It is a comedy and I think that if we are doing it right, the audience will be laughing and having fun, and if we are truly doing it right, the cast will be laughing and having fun on stage. The play has these really amazing intricate social undertones that if you blink, you might miss them. It’s a comedy with a shrewd insight to humanity.
“The Beaux’ Stratagem” premieres at 8 p.m. on Friday at the Wortham Theater. There will also be performances at 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, with its final showings at 8 p.m. Oct. 10 through 12.