2016-2017 Season

The Crucible revolves around an infamous historical event. But how did it all begin?

What did it take to be a cast member of this show? Time, hard work, and a lot of sweat. But, that is to be expected when your show is about Olympic runners. When you have a passion for something, you strive to be as good as you can at it. When your passion is acting, sometimes you learn new skills in order to play a part. Our actors embraced this and became actor athletes.

In one of the post-show discussions, there was an audience member who asked us about the color of the costume design. We had a conversation of the concept of the design but none of us knew the exact process of how our costume designer Rory Scanlon developed it. Therefore, I brought the question to Rory and this was his reply.

If you came and saw our production of Macbeth here at BYU last week or the week before, you would have seen this outside in the lobby:

happysadness is better with puppets. Everything is better with puppets. The nature of this phenomenon might not seem obvious at first. After all, puppets are for kids aren't they? Haven't we, as adults, moved past the juvenile and broad nature the world of puppets provides? The answer to both of these questions is a steadfast no. Adults love puppets. It might be attributed to nostalgia, butt here is something inherently adult about puppets. This can be seen in the many ways puppets have been marketed for adults. The Muppet Show had kid-friendly content, but the goal was to entertain the whole family, adults included. Others followed this trend with various degrees of family friendly (and not so friendly) content. Madame's Place, Dinosaurs, Sifl & Olly, Greg the Bunny, Crank Yankers, and several other tv shows included puppets as primary characters and were targeting beyond the kid market. Puppets for adults hasn't only happened on television. The musical Avenue Q purposely spoofed Sesame Street to tell a decidedly adult tale, and Schockheaded Peter used puppets to warp a children's book into a much more adult affair on stage.

by Amanda Welch, dramaturg

By Shelley Graham, dramaturg

by Kristin Perkins, assistant dramaturg What excites me as the assistant dramaturg for The Crucible, is the level of depth in this play. There is so much to dive into between the rich dramatic themes, vivid characterization, and, not to mention, the exploration of how BYU’s production handles the script in unique ways. I get especially excited about the history; drawing connections, revealing embedded themes, and separating what is historically true from the dramatic “truth” of the play. There is really two histories that inform The Crucible. Most obviously, the play is loosely based on the events of the Salem Witch Trials. Miller certainly did his research but also felt free to adjust some of the history in order to fulfill the dramatic structure he wanted. The other history that deeply informs this play is that of the Red Scare which Miller lived through and felt strongly about. We will be exploring these dual histories in The Fourth Wall but we figured it would be best to start here: in a Puritan settlement, in 1692:

by Ting Chun Chang, dramaturg One of the traditions in the BYU theatre department is to have a post show discussion with the audience, actors, and members of the production team after every Thursday night performance. To finish up our coverage on Mary Poppins, I want to share some of the great questions and answers that were discussed. Q: This production looks very professional. Is it a student design team? A: It is half and half. The cast are students; some are more experienced. For the designing team, we have several options: 1) We have professional faculty members with student assistants, 2) We have the students who co-design with other student designers, 3) And of course, we have student designers who design alone. These students have a faculty adviser to guide them when they need a piece of advice. Q: How do the statues stay the same pose so long? A: Through the rehearsal process, they tried many different poses, eventually choosing the ones where they could comfortably freeze for long time. Q: Is it hard to sing and dance at the same time? A: Yes, it is a challenge for the cast. However, the cast receive training on daily basis, which includes working on their stamina and breath support. Our music director, Gayle coaches them with the music. Q: Why did the toy scene look a little bit scary? A: I had a conversation with the cast about that scene. Our discovery is that it is the last time that Mary tries to teach children how to respect and appreciate others, but apparently, Michael and Jane didn’t want to change their attitude. Mary feels a bit frustrated and she chooses to leave for a little bit afterward. *Originally, this number was called “Temper, Temper.” When it opened on Broadway back in 2006, there was a young audience member who came see the show and was very frightened. This young audience member even crawled into her mother’s lap. The production team took note of this and other reactions and reworked the song to be less scary, resulting in a new song “Playing The Game” replacing “Temper, Temper.” Q: How long do you prepare for this production? What was the process? A: The first production meeting was at April 2016. The director, George Nelson, talked about his concept and feelings about the story with the design team. Then the whole team discussed the characters together, and, over the next few months, started presenting their design concept. Over the summer, the work was continually under development. We started the rehearsal process in late August. Q: What is the answer on page 17 of the study guide? A: It was the Utah courthouse. Handley finds it interesting to uses some of the images around Utah to build the scenery. I think it makes this production unique.

by Rick Curtiss Dramaturg ox·y·mo·ron /ˌäksəˈmôrˌän/ noun a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction (e.g., faith unfaithful kept him falsely true ). I learned about this word (I assume in the same way everyone did) from a scene in the 1994 movie Renaissance Man where Danny DeVito’s character explains it to a group of students. I don’t remember anything else about the movie, but the oxymoron scene is etched so deep in my memory that I can still here Danny DeVito say "girly man" over the crackly drive-in speaker.

by Jessa Cunningham, dramaturg

by Ting Chun Chang, dramaturg "Let's Go Fly a Kite," written by the Sherman Brothers, is one of the famous song in Mary Poppins. The symbol of the kite was mentioned in the beginning on in the script when Bert sings : A FATHER, A MOTHER, A DAUGHTER, A SON. THE THREADS OF THEIR LIVES ARE RAVELING UNDONE. SOMETHING IS NEEDED TO TWIST THEM AS TIGHT AS A STRING YOU MIGHT USE WHEN YOU'RE FLYING A KITE...... Designers' Kite Idea While we were exploring the idea of kite flying, scenic designer Michael Handley was able to share his personal story about the experience of flying kites with his family. He also discovered the cross symbol on the kite and was able to "mosaic" this idea into his design. Props designer Bradlee Hager then dug into some other research about how kites were designed in the early 20th century. [caption id="attachment_5076" align="aligncenter" width="378"] This is the inspirational picture for Bradlee. Painted by Dame Laura Knight. Flying a Kite 1910. First Exhibited: London Riyal Academy 1910 No.712[/caption] In reality, people made many different kinds of kites; some are very long, some are very complicated. However, in the script, it is described simply as a "red kite." Bradlee decided to create kites with the simplest design in order to not distract from the message of the show. Kites In The Script In the play, the first kite is shown by Michael Banks. He desires to fly kite with his father but is rejected. The "broken kite," as described in the play, is like his broken heart, wanting to be loved by his father. After George Bank realizes the importance of the family, he takes a beautiful red kite and flies it with his son. The power of this message is also shown in the "Let's Go Fly a Kite" scene in the movie Saving Mr. Banks. Up to this point, P.L Travers has not been happy with the way Disney had been adapting her book into a film. In the scene, the Sherman Brothers sing the song for Travers in order to show her the revisions they had made to George Bank's character. The song transforms Travers' attitude about the project, giving us a clue into the importance of that character's journey. More About Kites One thing I like about the idea of the kite is that it goes alone well with a religious belief of BYU, which is centered in Jesus Christ. Further, it is echoing the department's educational mission: "To promote literacy, creativity, and spirituality by exploring their interrelatedness in the arts of theatre and media, in an effort to illuminate and confirm truth and the infinite potential of the human soul." I know it might be too religious at this moment, but as a Chinese Mormon dramaturg, I would like to share with you that the symbol of the string in the kite for me is the same thing described in the Book of Mormon: "And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another...... having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another." (Mosiah 18:21) Fun Facts About Kites Kites were originally invented in China and used in the military as early as the 2nd century BC. They were made out of silk and bamboo and designed to imitate birds, bats, and butterflies. In 1752, Benjamin Franklin’s famous experiment involved flying a kite in a thunderstorm and proved that lightning is caused by electricity. The golden age of kite flying was between the years 1860 and 1910. During this period, kites were used for a variety of things such as photography, wireless communication, aeronautics, and meteorology. Today, kites are flown all over the world in festivals and parades. To dream of the kite symbolizes the desire to live carefree, but in a controlled way as the kite is tethered to string, you should never let go completely. Making your Own Kite In the Mary Poppins' program, we have created an opportunity for you to create your own kite for your family. If you need some help, follow the instructions in this video, featuring prop designer Bradlee Hager. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMOfKGAMefA&t=35s Research Resources https://tma.byu.edu/mission-statement/ http://www.damelauraknight.com/artwork/flying-a-kite-1910/ http://www.aerc.nhcue.edu.tw/4-0/teach93/s33/source-next-2.htm http://www.hwjyw.com/zhwh/content/2011/06/16/18955.shtml

by Ting Chun Chang, dramaturg

by Ting Chun Chang, dramaturg

by Jessa Cunningham, dramaturg

by Amanda Alley, dramaturg

by Ting Chun Chang, dramaturg Mary Poppins snapped her fingers again, ready to “educate” the kids! In the world of Mary Poppins we see magic everywhere, However, how to show that magic is a crucial key for the design team. As it is the number one topic we have been talking about in the production meetings, before the show starts, I would like to give a you broad sense of how each designer has chosen to dive into this magic world. At the beginning of the process, we created a magic moment list. This was a guide for the production team. We talked about the magical moments in other productions, movies and how these moments were done. In the meantime, the designers figured out who would be in charge of each moment. For example, we choose to let our projection effects designer, Ben Unguren, explore some images that could be done through projector, such as the instantaneous changes in the nursery and creating the colors in the park. Costume designer, Rory Scanlon analyzed the relationship between the characters in the family and the relationship between Mary and Mr. Banks and Mary and Bert, and then looked for symbolic ways to reveal things about Mary's character. For example, for him, Mary is the one who bring joy and light to the family. When you watch the show, see if you can you tell how that is shown through the costuming.

by Jessa Cunningham, dramaturg