It’s not every day students get the chance to work with a professional actor, and some students pounced on the opportunity this past weekend.

Loras alum Bob Kaliban is an actor who has starred on Broadway, in numerous movies, and also in various radio and television commercials. As a part of the Loras Players 100th Anniversary celebration, Kaliban returned to Loras for a couple of days to share his talents. He provided a master-class acting workshop for some current Loras Players, and finished his visit with a public lecture and performance on Saturday night in the St. Joseph Auditorium in Hoffmann Hall.

Kaliban is a 1955 Loras graduate. Upon graduation, he was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England. This was the start of a fruitful acting career for Kaliban. He has acted alongside Gwen Verdon and Richard Kiley on the Broadway tour of Redhead, and he has graced the New York stage in many shows.

Kaliban has also appeared in a number of films, including: “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” “Lovers and Other Strangers” and “Something Short of Paradise.” He has had television appearances in multiple shows, including “Law & Order” and “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

Kaliban has also been in many radio and TV commercials. He has mastered more than 25 dialects and many cartoon and character voice. He has provided voice-overs for M&M candies, Doublemint Gum, Burger King and countless others. His memorable on-camera spots were as the “cookieman” for Chips Ahoy and playing various other roles for Remco’s Little Old Toymaker, Atlas Tires and the Ty-D-Bol Man.

And he credits a lot of his success to his Loras experience. “Kaliban was a big advocate of Loras,” said senior Drew Chapman, who was at Saturday’s workshop. “He says his life has been very much fulfilled, and everything he has accomplished is a result of going to Loras.”

“It was cool to hear how a boy from a small town in Iowa went so far, and still he credited it all to his faith, family, and community—including Loras,” added senior Patience Chiles, who also took part in Kaliban’s master class. “It was good to see how much he cherished his Loras years and everything he learned here.”

The master class was a full day of learning for the Loras Players in attendance. The morning session consisted of an improvisational workshop. Junior Katie Gees explained, “Kaliban gave us a scenario to act out, and then he gave us feedback on the general ‘rules’ or guidelines to improve.”

“We worked on listening and reacting on the spot, without having previously prepared,” added Chiles.

The afternoon session was more focused on acting in commercials, and students worked on line delivery and character development. “We read from commercial scripts and he talked us through the basics of doing a commercial,” said Gees. “He gave us tips on auditioning and putting together acting resumes, and answered any questions we had for him about his work on Broadway or television.”

“It was obvious that Kaliban was very experienced, so it was great to learn from him,” added Chiles. “I think what I enjoyed most was his obvious interest in the students — in our talents and creativity. He was very positive and energetic, and he kept telling us how talented he thought we were.”

After a full day of sharing his secrets with the Loras Players, Kaliban took the stage for a public performance that evening. “I was impressed with his ability to engage the audience and maintain strong energy the whole time,” said Chiles. “Kaliban struck me as a very sincere, positive and gifted person. I’m very thankful that he shared both his time and wisdom with us.”

 

Loras Players come again; this time with “Way Off Broadway on Loras 8.” As they embark on their 99th season, the players are performing four one-act plays that include three comedies and a drama, held yet again in St. Joseph Auditorium this weekend. Juniors Kevin Grady, Hannah Spina and Jadee Schmidt, all theatre minors, are the directors of these one-acts. 

All the one-acts of “Way Off Broadway”, which takes its name from “Way Off Broadway” in the New York Theater District, have student directors. Last year, eight directors from the directing class showed eight different one-acts. Since the class is offered every other year, Grady, Spina and Schmidt, who had been involved in theater for some time, were selected to direct this year’s plays.

Professor Douglas Donald, director of theater, said, “The idea of the students directing the plays is to give them the opportunities to be creative and experimental, and to explore the areas of theater. All the directors have the freedom to show off their talent however they want to.” 

Grady, who is directing two shows, said, “The plays this year are much shorter than what most people are used to seeing.” His first one-act, “The Actress’ Dilemma”, is about an actress who tries out for an audition for a play and gets rejected by the director. The other act is “The Controlling Interest”, in which a bunch of executive businessmen—who are in fact eight year old boys—call a meeting to discuss the possibility of liking girls. 

Schmidt, who has acted in scratch play, Hamlet and last year’s Christmas Carol, among others, has been involved in the theater since her first year at college. “A Heart in the Ground” is her second direction, which is the story about a couple who recently lost their young baby, how they deal with death and how the woman is driven insane by the whole situation. Schmidt directed “Dancing with the Devil” last year. 

After her involvement in plays like “Urinetown”, “Hamlet”, “Little Women” and a number of scratch plays, Spina is directing “The Ugly Duckling”, which is an absurd fairy tale about an ugly princess and prince who end up marrying each other. Spina says, “It’s about figuring out what really matters; the play sends a message that beauty lies within.” 

No doubt, theater is a creative effort; it also takes a huge amount of time. Spina said, “Since we only had two weeks of time to cast and direct, it was especially difficult to get things together. Nonetheless, it’s so much fun and can even be a stress reliever once you get into the flow of this.” 

“It should be a good weekend,” Spina said smilingly. Schmidt added, “Expect great things, it will be diverse and interesting.” This Friday will definitely show what happens when students take over the theater. 

“Way Off Broadway on Loras-8” is this Friday, November 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m. and November 22 at 2 p.m. at St. Joseph Auditorium in Hoffmann Hall. It is free for Loras affiliated and $5 for general admission. The shows may contain strong language.