Aidan Duez took a major step over the summer toward achieving his dream career as a professional actor. By making his professional debut in “STATIC” at the Scranton Fringe Festival, Duez is setting the stage for future success in the acting and theater industry.
Duez, a Slippery Rock University junior acting major from Kingwood, Texas (Kingwood HS), joined a professional three-person cast for two weeks of rehearsal before performing July 31 in Scranton. The Scranton Fringe Festival is an annual celebration of the arts that takes over stages in more than a dozen venues in the Scranton area.
“It meant the world because I was able to be compensated for my work,” Duez said. “For the first time, I was hired for my merit and was putting up a show in a professional theater space. It felt like a collection of everything I’ve learned at Slippery Rock, and I was able to put that knowledge into the production.”
“STATIC” is a musical drama following the main character, Mathew Riley, as he confronts his father’s legacy through songwriting and fragmented memory. The production was organized and constructed by only two other actors, two stage managers and the original two writers and producer. Duez worked closely with the team, helping shape the script and score that was still evolving in rehearsal. This experience allowed Duez to gain first-hand experience on an intimate level of how scripts, sets and creative direction evolve.
“I learned a lot about how to engage in a theater space that is so intimate,” Duez said. “Because it was brand new, we were rewriting songs, adjusting harmonies and figuring out what worked. Everyone was focused on making the show the best it could be.”
In the plot of “STATIC,” Duez played the role of Riley’s father, which challenged Duez in ways he had not previously experienced. For example, his character aged from his mid-20s to 75 over the course of the play. Duez learned how to balance both physical and emotional demands of the dynamic storytelling.
“It was the most material in any show I’ve been in,” Duez said. “It was a challenging track but incredibly rewarding and interesting.”
Duez credits SRU’s Theatre Department for setting him up to succeed during the last two years before his professional debut. He especially credited his scene study classes, giving him tools to analyze and quickly adapt to flexible scripts.
“I didn’t grow up with a vast wealth of theatrical knowledge,” he said. “When I came to SRU, I was welcomed and cast in our new work right away. That experience meant I didn’t feel underwater when things were quickly changing around me in the production.”
Duez hopes to build on his professional debut as a working actor in regional theaters and national tours while exploring dramaturgy and voice instruction.
“This was the first time I really threw myself into a show,” he said. “Having that experience so early gives me confidence that I can keep doing this after graduation.”
More information about theatre programs at SRU is available on the department’s webpage. More information about the Scranton Fringe Festival is available at scrantonfringe.org.