Teresa Luedtke admits there were more than a few butterflies fluttering around in her stomach as she waited to walk on stage in the Benedicta Arts Center’s Gorecki Family Theater on the evening of Nov. 6.
That was certainly understandable.
After all, this was the premiere performance of the CSB and SJU Theater and Dance Program’s production of “We Happy Few,” and Luedtke – a sophomore English and strategic communication studies double major – had been cast in a lead role for the first time.
That’s not just during her time at CSB and SJU, but in any of the 13 productions the Eau Claire (Wisconsin) North High School graduate has been part of since first taking up theater as a 10-year-old.
“There’s a lot of pressure. And knowing all those eyes are going to be on you is kind of nerve-wracking,” Luedtke said. “I’d never been in that situation before so I didn’t know how it was going to go. But once the performance started, and I realized I could take it and run with it, my confidence really grew.”
That’s just what Sean Dooley, the chair of the theater and dance department at CSB and SJU and the director of “We Happy Few,” thought would happen when he cast Luedtke as Hetty Oak, the leader of a determined group of women who form a traveling theater company in England during World War II.
After four shows during its opening weekend, three more performances remain on the schedule: 7:30 p.m. Thursday (Nov. 13), 7:30 p.m. Friday (Nov. 14) and 7:30 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 15).
Tickets cost $13 for adults and $7 for CSB and SJU faculty, staff and students.
“Hetty is a leader who is organized and gets things done,” Dooley said. “Certainly, Reese has characteristics similar to that. But she also seems to be the kind of person interested in taking on challenges and meeting them.
“I knew this wouldn’t be something that was too large for her. She’d be comfortable in the moment.”
Luedtke had Dooley – also an actor with extensive experience in theatre, film and television – as a professor in a theater course she took as a first-year student. She enjoyed that experience and relished the chance to work with him again.
“He’s very thorough as a professor,” she said. “You can tell he knows a lot about the subject and has a lot of experience in it. He makes it really comforting as a student.
“As a director, he’s very much the same way. He has a clear vision and he does a great job of making that clear. That makes it easy as an actor to go all out. You know just what he’s looking for. Knowing he was directing is what made me want to audition for a part in the show in the first place.”
But Luedtke never expected to wind up in the lead role.
“I had no idea,” she said with a laugh. “I just thought it would be really cool to be part of the cast and get to know people.
“This was definitely more than I bargained for. But it’s been such a great experience. It’s helped push me out of my comfort zone a little bit.”
Luedtke – who maintains a 4.0 GPA and has made the Dean’s List every semester during her time on campus – first gave CSB a look after some gentle prodding from her aunt Kristen Huber LaPorte, a 2004 graduate.
“I wasn’t even thinking about Saint Ben’s, but she told me to do her a favor and go visit,” recalled Luedtke, who receives a theater scholarship, and academic achievement, alum referral and voyageur scholarships as well.
“She wanted to hear my reaction to seeing the place because she loved it so much. I came on a visit and fell in love. The people I spoke with were all welcoming and the campuses (CSB and SJU) are so visually unique. I knew this was where I wanted to be.”
Luedtke is hoping to pursue a career in writing – possibly as a screen writer, which she refers to as her “dream job.” To that end, she has enrolled in a screenwriting course being offered by the English department for the first time next semester.
“That’s so exciting,” she said. “I enjoy acting and theater so much. It would be amazing to have the chance to continue in that field after I graduate.
“So I’m really looking forward to exploring screenwriting more fully.”
Luedtke also works as a writer and designer for the Literary Arts Institute at CSB and SJU, creating posters and writing profiles of visiting authors.
“That’s been the biggest surprise about coming here,” she said. “There have been so many opportunities to explore all the things I love doing. I’m amazed at everything I’ve already gotten to do and all the cool people I’ve gotten the chance to meet.
“I’m grateful every day I chose Saint Ben’s and I can’t wait to see what the next two years bring.”
Before that, though, she has a final weekend of performances as Hetty left ahead of her.
“I’m on stage a lot, which means I have to make sure I keep my energy at a high level the entire performance,” she said. “That can be tiring, but it’s so much fun.
“I’ve grown a lot not just as an actor, but as a leader too. This is such a close-knit cast. Everyone is super sweet and so easy to work with. All of the characters have their moments to shine and watching each of the actors take their moment in the spotlight is what has made it the most fun.”
