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Show llnlverslty Jaurnill • Mond6y, July 8, 1996 • ' Local' actor malfes it big at USF 1 SUU grad Brian Vaughn is shining as Prince Hal in Henry IV, Part I H ow does a young actor feel about being cast as one of William Shakespeare's most notable characters: Prince Hal of Henry IV Part One? "I was nervous at fi rst, but I've found that portraying Hal is one of the highlights of my career,so far," says Vaughn, who graduated last year from Cedar City's Southern Utah University. "I was very excited to find that I was given the role. Being labeled as 'the funny man' in most of my comic roles, I find this to be a great chance to work on a character dealing with humanity and 'weightier' issues." Vaughn's portrayal of Hal takes him back in time as the son of Henry IV, a king dealing with civil strife and rebellion. As the heir to the throne, Hal denies all responsibilities as the prince of Wales, rejects his father, and takes on a carefree life with the ale-laden scoundrel Sir John Falstaff, played by Dudley Knight. As the play progresses, Hal realizes his responsibilities and deals with the timeless theme of coming of age. As any actor would do in such an important role, Vaughn spent countless hours researching and reading in preparing for his transformation to Prince Hal. ''The greatest thing about Hal is that he was a real person. There was a lot of research available to me, and I dived into the Shakespeare text of the Henry series and soaked in the evolution of the characters from play to play. The text of the actual play Henry IV Part 1 was a great help as well because the emotion was all laid out for me. Shakespeare presents Hal in such a way that all his relationships are mapped out before you , and you can't help but feel the humanity in his character." "This production also has such great depth. I enjoy this play so much because, not only is it one of Shakespeare's most incredible historical works, but it is presented in such a way that all ages can enjoy it. It has a great combination of humor, passion, and history-based in basic human natu re. I hope everyone comes to see it," said Vaughn . Vaughn heralds the success of this production to the very talented troupe of actors involved, the artistic staff, and the vision of Henry IV director Paul Barnes, who directed last year's successful Henry VIII, not to mention some incredible fight scenes, choreographed by Randy Kovitz, the Festival's fight director. Reviewers and patrons alike (many of whom have watched Vaughn grow from being a student at SUU to a Greenshow performer at the Festival, to a major actor) have been charmed by Vaughn's believable depiction of Hal since the opening of the Festival two weeks ago. Terre and Lou Burton wrote in the June 27 edition of The Spectrum: "Vaughn's superb acting and controlled presence dominate-as they should-this play about a prince who vaults 'with such ease into his seat."' "Brian Vaughn's Prince Hal is full of youth and reaching toward the maturity that drives the character," added Nancy Melich in the June 27 edition of The Salt Lake Tribune. Fred Adams, founder and executive producer of the Festival and one of Vaughn's former theatre teachers, has nothing but high praises for this young actor, "Brian is an extraordinarily talented young man. I've watched him grow with the Festival through the years and he has proven to be a real favorite of our audience." Perhaps one of the driving forces behind Vaughn's smash role as Hal is his closeness to the character, "Hal is such a wonderful character, partly because he goes through such a transformation dealing with the timeless themes of pride, honor, and family; but also because he is just like one of us. I can really relate to Hal and have at times struggled with the same conflicts he has." Graduating in 1995 with a degree in theatre arts from Southern Utah University, this is Vaughn's sixth season with the Utah Shakespearean Festival. He started his career with the Festival as a performer in the Greenshow and The Royal Feaste. Vaughn served as an actor intern his third season and is currently enjoying his second season as a member of the acting company. Aside from his impressive history with the Festival, Vaughn has been awarded numerous honors for his artistic talents. In 1995 he received the "Straw Hat Award" from Theatre Week magazine in New York for best supporting actor in a musical for his depiction of Hysterium in the Festival's smash production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Vaughn is also the recipient of the 1994 Michael and Jan Finlayson Acting Award-one of the highest Festival honors for artistic integrity. Henry IV Part 1 runs Fridays and Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. through the end of August in the Festival's Adams Theatre. Tickets are $19 to $27. Call the box office at 586-7878 or 800-PLAYTIX for more information or to order tickets. SUU tech prof named top in state Lyman Munford nabs prestigious honor for technology education yman Munford, an associate professor of drafting technology at Southern Utah University, will be recognized during the 1996-97 academic year as the Utah Industrial Education Association's ''Technology Educator of the Year." Munford received the state award from the UIEA during recent state meetings in Logan. It is his second statewide honor in two years. In 1995, Munford was the recipient of the UIEA's "Outstanding Drafting Teacher of the Year'' award. For the past two years, he has served on a task force committee developing a performance based drafting curriculum for the secondary public schools of the state. L I He began his teaching career at Ogden High School in 1961. In 1965, he joined the faculty at SUU where he assisted in developing a drafting and construction program which offers an associate degree in building construction and a bachelor's degree in construction management. Recently, he assisted in the development of an associate degree program in design technology and a bachelor's degree curriculum in CAD-CAM engineering technology. Munford is a past president of the Utah Industrial Arts Association and of the construction and drafting sections of UIEA. He is a 33-year Boy Scout adult leader and the recipient of that organization's Second Miler Award, Award of Merit, and the Silver Beaver. l; |