EMBRACING THE ‘BEAR’ NE RANDY SNIGHT EARNS THEATRE ACCOLADES

No need to look for the “bear necessities”— Randy Snight ’09 already has them.

The theatre performance graduate earned rave reviews — including a write up in The Washington Post — this year when he played “The Bear,” a non-speaking role in the Kennedy Center’s “Siegfried,” the third of four operas in Richard Wagner’s “Ring” cycle.

“Waiting four-and-a-half hours just to bow all alone on the Kennedy Center Opera House stage was absolutely worth it,” said Snight, who teaches theatre and dance at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Maryland. “The bear only existed onstage in the first 20 minutes of the five-hour opera, but it was an amazing experience.”

After being cast in various non-speaking roles for two of the four shows in the Kennedy Center’s “Ring” cycle, Snight was asked to try on the 40-pound bear suit for “Siegfried.” A costume fitting turned into an opportunity.

Randy Snight, left, stunned audiences earlier this year with his standout performance as The Bear.

Photo credit: Scott Suchman/WNO. The Kennedy Center. 12