If We Were Villains

Oliver begins his story from September 1997, his fourth and final year at Dellecher Classical Conservatory, an elite theatre school in Broadwater, Illinois. Oliver studied acting at Dellecher, the curriculum comprising exclusively of plays by Shakespeare. Oliver’s final year acting class consists of only seven students; the rest having failed over the years. The seven friends are a tight-knit group, each occupying specific roles in the friend circle and in the casting choices for plays. Physically massive Richard always plays kings and generals, beautiful Meredith Dardenne, “the femme fatale” (15), roguish-looking Alexander Vass, the villain, handsome James Farrow, the hero, spritely Wren Stirling (Richard’s cousin) the girl-next-door. Oliver and Filipa Kosta, less easy to typecast, often get supporting parts. The next play is Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Alexander bets everyone that Richard and James will get the key roles of Caesar and Brutus.

The friends go to the Fine Arts Building (known as the FAB) for their auditions. Each one has prepared a bit from a Shakespeare play; Oliver’s choice is a passage from Pericles, suggested by James, his best friend and roommate. Oliver reflects that James is the “sort of actor everyone fell in love with as soon as he stepped onstage, and I was no exception” (24). People sometimes perceive of Oliver as James’s “loyal sidekick” (25). Gwendolyn, their drama coach, invariably casts Oliver in similar roles in the plays as well. Richard is Gwendolyn’s favorite, while James is Frederick’s, the professor who teaches them the theory and history of drama. Meredith and Richard, considered equally good-looking, are a couple in real life.

After the auditions, the group await the casting results at the Bore’s Head, their favorite bar near Dellecher. They learn that Richard is playing Caesar and James, Brutus, as expected. However, Oliver’s playing two parts, unlike what Alexander had predicted. A third-year called Colin is playing the part of Mark Antony.

Exhilarated at the casting, the friends spend the afternoon at the lake around Dellecher. Everyone teases Richard for getting the part with the largest impact but the fewest lines to learn. Oliver reflects on his father’s displeasure at his interest in theatre. Though Oliver loves Dellecher, his father has “refused to accept [his] decision to waste [his] university years” (33). Oliver has two sisters, Caroline and Leah. Most of the students’ parents are similarly concerned, but Richard and Wren are different since their parents are actors and directors based in London. Meredith is from a wealthy family who neglect her. Sitting on the docks near the water, Oliver fervently hopes their final year in Dellecher goes smoothly.

In their first session of the year, Oliver notes that Gwendolyn’s drama teaching methods are “merciless” (36). During her classes, Gwendolyn always prods students to reveal their innermost emotions, sometimes bringing them to tears. This time, starting with Meredith, she asks all the students to reveal their greatest strengths and biggest fears. Meredith says her greatest strength is her physicality and beauty. Her biggest fear is that she is prettier than she is talented, and therefore no one takes her seriously. The revelations leave Meredith and the rest of the class feeling discomfited.

After the grueling session with Gwendolyn, the group heads to the gallery, a narrow room in which Frederick holds his classes. Frederick always serves black tea during his sessions. In the fourth year, the students focus on Shakespeare’s tragedies. Frederick quizzes them about why Julius Caesar is considered a tragedy, rather than a history play. James responds that the history plays refer only to those dealing with English history. Frederick confirms the answer and wants to know what else makes Julius Caesar “first and foremost a tragedy” (44). He suggests that the play is especially tragic because Julius Caesar, the title character, is not just assassinated, but assassinated by his closest friends.