‘Titanic’ sets sail with help of local college students

When the curtain rises on Circle Players’ new production of Titanic: The Musical, audiences will experience all the engaging drama you might expect of this harrowing tale. But we’ll also enjoy a bit of theater magic, courtesy of four Tennessee State University engineering students.

With book by Peter Stone, and music and lyrics by Maury Yeston, this Tony Award-winning musical follows the heart-breaking story of the so-called “Ship of Dreams,” and how she sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912. But unlike the popular James Cameron movie, this Titanic sticks more closely to the facts.

“The musical is based on the nonfiction book A Night to Remember, along with the hearings that were held following the disaster,” said director Tim Larson. “It focuses a lot on the ship’s builder, owner and captain, and it has a lot to say about the separation of classes onboard.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the Titanic,” he continued. “I fell in love with the musical when I first saw it in New York and knew I wanted to direct it.”

While Larson knew Nashville had the vocal talent to take on such a challenging production, one piece of the show did have him a bit concerned.

“I was definitely worried about the technical aspects,” he said. “I mean they had a $10 million budget on the Broadway production. How were we going to make the ship sink — or at least tilt in a way that would be believable? That’s when one of our board members came up with the idea of having a contest for local college students to design a ship for us.”

In December, four undergraduate engineering students from Tennessee State University — Reggie Floyd, Ebrima Colley, Mario Andriulli and Jeremiah Sloan — received an honorary check for their winning design, which uses a wide platform and hydraulic lift system to create the illusion of a sinking ship. The contest was partly funded by a grant from the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

“It was quite an undertaking, but the students did a great job,” Larson said. “And it’s a great way for Circle Players to reach out to the community, mixing arts with science. I know a lot of people will come to the show because they want to see the ship sink, but I think they’ll leave appreciating the beautiful story and music.”

What: Titanic: The Musical

When: 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday Jan. 16-31

Where: Looby Center Theatre, 2301 Rosa L. Parks Blvd.

Cost: $15 for adults, $12 for students/seniors, all tickets $10 on Thursdays

Info: 332-7529, circleplayers.net