No Refund Theatre tale tells dangers of saving a life

Move over Steve Urkel and make room for Rick Steadman.

No Refund Theatre's latest production, The Nerd, written by Larry Shue, deals with protagonist Willum Cubbert's experiences with Rick Steadman, possibly the most socially inept geek in existence

The Nerd will be performed at 8 p.m. today and tomorrow in 111 Forum.

The play tells the story of Willum, an architect who is sent to Vietnam as a draftsman.

A few hours after he arrives, he is shot and left for dead. But a mysterious stranger comes out of nowhere and takes him to safety. Willum is then discharged and sent home. He never gets to meet the man who saved his life, but he obtains his name and address through the war records.

Feeling a sense of gratitude and obligation, Willum writes the man telling him that if there is anything he needs or wants, Willum would be happy to return the favor.

Then on Willum's birthday, Rick, the mysterious stranger, shows up on Willum's doorstep, immediately displaying his intolerable personality. From there, outlandish stunts and zany comedy ensue.

As the title role of the nerd, Michael Ritchey (junior-English) said he uses personal experience to create the character of Rick Steadman.

"I was kind of a nerd in high school, so I have a lot of experience in this type of role," Ritchey said. "Also a lot of my friends are nerds."

The director of the play, Carrie Muenks (freshman-forestry), said she found directing a group of her peers to be a bit intimidating at first, but feels the cast has been very cooperative.

"Because I am a freshman, I felt like 'Who am I to say?'," Muenks said. "But the cast is very close knit and we are all good friends. We take criticisms from each other well. We all work together to put this show on. Now I have no qualms at all. Everyone works well together," she said.

Muenks enthusiasm is shared by the cast.

"The cast gets along great. There is a lot of chemistry between us," said Ben Zitelli (sophomore-landscape architecture), who plays the part of Willum.

While the main purpose of The Nerd is to provide entertainment, it also functions as a fund-raising event. Like all NRT productions, there is no charge for admission. Instead they ask for a $1 donation at the door which will be given to a charity. NRT tries to find a charity that relates to the play. In the case of The Nerd, NRT hopes to be able to donate the proceeds to a Vietnam veteran's association.

NRT is a student-run organization that was started about five years ago by students who wanted to act, direct and produce their own shows. It began as a group of five people, and now has approximately 100 members. This semester NRT has put together a 10-weekend series consisting of 16 shows, Muenks said. NRT is set up to give any student who wants the opportunity the chance to get involved.

"When I transferred here last year I had a difficult time getting cast in anything," Ritchey said. "When I finally came to the No Refund Theatre audition, and they cast me in one of their shows, it was a great opportunity for me."

For Molly Riley (freshman-industrial engineering), being a part of NRT has been one of the best experiences of her freshman year. When Riley first arrived at Penn State, she said she found it to be very different from her hometown. Being a part of NRT has helped to make the campus a bit smaller for her.

"NRT has really helped me fit in," Riley said.