Oddly Unordinary: How this Theatre Production Showcases VMI’s Clubs

It took six weeks to pull the production of “The Odd Couple” together. Normally, it takes more than two months for a production this size, said Cadet Matthew Frazier ‘23.

Frazier and the cast of “The Odd Couple” just closed out their production Sunday, March 26. For Frazier and fellow castmate Cadet Ted Harris ‘23, this was their last VMI Theatre production.

The play centers around a New Yorker who recently separated from his wife and moves in with his best friend. The drama revolves around their attempt to share an apartment without driving each other crazy. Oscar Madison, the perpetually broke slob, is played by Harris, and Felix Unger, the meticulous and fussy photographer, is played by Frazier. Students at VMI, a military college in Virginia, performing a play

Frazier, the cadet in charge of Virginia Military Institute’s Theatre Club, said the show was a challenge to put on due to the time constraints and the number of lines that had to be memorized.

“Despite all the stress, it is worth it, and I think we (had) a pretty funny show for everyone,” he said.

With prior experience in theater in high school, Frazier was convinced by upperclassmen to join the Theatre Club when he started at VMI. He said that clubs, like theater, are crucial at VMI.

“Personally, when I joined as a rat, it became my escape,” he said. “It was one of the few places where I could interact with both upper-class cadets as well as people from the outside world who come to see our shows as well as perform with the community theater. It certainly isn’t the type of thing people think about when they picture a military school, but for those of us in the club it’s incredibly fun, and it allows us to develop more as leaders and individuals in the process.”

Harris echoed that sentiment, saying clubs like this are necessary for creating healthier environments for cadets.

“The military and academic aspects of VMI are huge, but that’s just the surface of what VMI is,” he said. “Clubs like theater provide a break from that aspect of VMI. I also think that the balance between clubs and the military-academic side is what makes VMI so special. It keeps you busy, but you learn a lot.”

There can be a certain stigma about being in the theater club, Frazier said, but he doesn’t let it bother him.

“Things like that don’t get to me, you can’t survive at a school like VMI if you don’t have thick skin. I can’t imagine what my cadetship would’ve been like without theater, it’s a place where we all get to unwind, be weird, and not care what people think,” he said.

Students at VMI, a military college in Virginia, performing a playJoining a club like theater is exactly what any normal college experience should be about.

“To me, college is about trying things out and seeing what you like,” Harris said. “You never know what you really want to do until you try it. As long as you find something you like doing, your cadetship will be busier, but it will be a lot more fun.”

Harris said he thinks this will be his last performance — which has been the biggest role of his acting career — at VMI. He said it was a challenge, but one he took head-on.

“As we like to say around here, ‘Don’t Do Ordinary,’” he said. “We somehow find a way to put the show together and give the audience a fun evening.”