Beneath the dazzling lights and the art deco detailing, the Cavendish family came to life on the stage of the Music and Dramatic Arts Building’s Shaver Theatre. “The Royal Family,” which centers around the Cavendish family of actors, was the first play to open in the Shaver since the lengthy $22 million renovation of the Music and Dramatic Arts Building. The building held a rededication ceremony Sept. 20. This past Sunday was the play’s final showing.”When it’s a new show in a new building, you’re worried about what will happen,” said Vastine Stabler, director of marketing and public relations for the theater department. “We’ve been lucky to have a play that was so good, and people have liked the show so much. We had a gorgeous set and costumes.”                                                                                                               Stabler said the theater has had a good turnout since its opening. The shows are usually student-driven, and people said they loved the play. “I think it’s really exciting because I’ve been waiting to see the new theater,” said Brandon Jones, microbiology junior. “I thought it was definitely a great performance.””The Royal Family” follows how the Cavendishes handle the idea of its members leaving the stage. The Cavendish family is loosely based on the Barrymore family, of which actress Drew Barrymore is a descendant.”Part of the fun of having a show [about actors] is the great comedic flair,” said Tony Marble, master of fine arts actor. “It shows how actors push the bounds of acceptable behavior.”John Dennis, director of the play said it was perfect for the theater because it is set in the same time period during which the theater was built.”I’m really impressed with [“The Royal Family”],” said Jacqueline Coal, music graduate student. “Seeing a play done in the same time period that the theater was built in is really neat.”The cast worked on the play since August and featured actors from all levels experience, Dennis said.”While everyone was going to the [football] games on Saturdays, we were all here building the set,” Dennis said. The entire class of the University’s M.F.A. program performs in the play, which features actors who have been working professionally or are a part of actors’ unions. “The Royal Family” also featured four professional actors.”I thought [the play] was nice, but it seemed like a smaller production and a smaller theater,” said Mark Kline, accounting sophomore.”The Royal Family” pulled in a packed house of 445 seats for nearly every show, said Stabler.”I thought it was pretty good even though it wasn’t my style,” said Carlisle Palmer, political science sophomore. “I thought the theater looked fantastic — there’s so much attention to detail.”There are currently 20 M.F.A students in the University’s theater program.”Getting to work with such great cast — and a cast that was so strong — was great,” said Michele Guidry, an M.F.A. actor who has been professionally acting for 9 years. “It’s rare that you get to work with a cast where everyone is on their game.”Response from the Baton Rouge community and from University students has been positive so far, Stabler said.”[Audience response] has been fantastic,” said Guidry. “I teach classes as an M.F.A. student, and all of the students from my classes have come to see the play and have loved it.”  “The Royal Family” was written by George Kaufman and Edna Ferber, and a revival of it is featured on Broadway this year.The next performance in the Shaver will be “Antigone” from Oct. 15-25.- – – -Contact Emily Slack at [email protected]