The Suffrage team has been working hard to bring you a stellar audio-drama performance this week. Below, you can meet our crew!
Emily Trejo, Director
Emily is a Senior studying Theatre Education with minors in TESOL and Family Life. She has had the opportunity to work on a handful of shows here at BYU that has helped further her interests in Directing and Dramaturgy. Aside from a life in theatre, Emily has also founded a mariachi band, Mariachi Montes Azules, that has also experienced lots of growth in the last few months. She is grateful to her husband, Dravyn, who has helped keep her sane during the semester.Tiffany Gibbons, Sound Designer and Foley Artist
Tiffany is a Senior in the Theatre Education program from Cedar Hills, UT. Passionate about music and movement, Tiffany hopes to teach in elementary schools and advocate for the use of the arts in general classrooms. This is such a beautiful and impactful show, and she is so grateful to have had the chance to help tell this story! Sending blessings to artists, teachers, storytellers, and Mothers everywhere during this trying time!Becca Christiansen, Hair and Makeup Designer
Becca has always had a love for hair and makeup and has been a cosmetologist for 7 years. She graduates this semester and can't wait to be able to spend more time with her husband and baby once she does. She stays busy with taking care of her family, cutting hair, and running her own boutique. Claire Eyestone, Costume Designer and "Frances"
Claire Eyestone is a senior studying theatre education and English teaching. Recent credits include Amy in Charley's Aunt at the HCTO, Adriana in Comedy of Errors, and assistant directing Little Shop of Horrors at BYU. She's loved getting to both design and act in this production.
Juniper Taylor, "Ruth"
Juniper Taylor is a junior in the BFA Acting program. She has played many roles from Lucifer in Dr. Faustus to Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof. She would like to thank Emily and the production team for working so hard on a story she’s grown to love. And she would like to thank Ruth for teaching her that strong, independent women can change the world. Samantha Daynes, Dramaturg
Samantha is a senior from Singapore studying theatre education. She is the great-great-great granddaughter of Wilford Woodruff, and has loved the opportunity to understand more about the lives of the early Saints. Acting credits include BYU's Hamlet and Comedy of Errors, and she read stage directions for Suffrage when it premiered at BYU's Contemporary Voices Festival. She has also worked as a set and costume designer, as well as a full-time position on the run crew at Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista, CA, and hopes to continue her education in many aspects of theatre.Lisa Eardley, Assistant Dramaturg
Lisa is a Senior from Elko, NV. She will graduate this semester with her degree in Theatre Arts with an emphasis on costume design. She has been the costume designer for the Silver Stage Players and the Overland Stage Theatre Company in Elko for several productions including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, White Christmas, and Cinderella.
Simple is Best [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Indeed.[/caption] by Adam White, dramaturg I write this blog post on the day of final dress rehearsal, on the eve of opening night! Everyone involved in this production of A Man for All Seasons has done marvelous work; the set and costuming and make up are all beautiful, and the cast is eager to put their performance in front of a live audience. I guess one could wonder if a dramaturg would give anything but a glowing report of their play that's about to go up, but quite truthfully: I'm eager for you to see this play! On the subject of wanting you to see our production of A Man For All Seasons, I want to relay to you an interesting experience I had just two day ago. Every BYUarts theatre production gets a promotional video, and I was asked by the video makers in charge of the promotional video to be interviewed for the piece on A Man for All Seasons. I accepted, and when I was in the interview, they had two questions for me: 1.) What is A Man for All Seasons about? 2.) Why should people go see A Man for All Seasons? As a dramaturg, I had a great answer for number one. Summarizing the events of this play in an interesting way was no problem. But that second question? That question gave me the hardest time! In the interview moment I was so flustered by my lack of an a concise answer. I quickly babbled out some gibberish to the camera man, after which I apologized and told him if he needed something more intelligible he shouldn't hesitate to call me back. Needless to say I was pretty embarrassed after the experience. Here's the thing: I'm the dramaturgy for this show. I should have some insight as to why people should go see this play (and I do). As I've thought about this experience and about my work as a dramaturg, I've come to the realize that in this situation what I needed was simplicity. Simple is best. See, during that brief interview with the promotional video guys, I was trying to make up a reason for people to see this show that sounded meaningful, or at least scholarly. That wasn't the right attitude for me at all because it meant that I was reaching beyond the play, maybe for selfish reasons, to lend what I deemed to be credibility to a piece of art that, maybe, doesn't need to be legitimized at all. I was being long-winded and downright silly. What the play really needed was for me to speak its simple 'truth.' To redeem myself a little bit and to put my new motto for dramaturgy into practice, I will tell you why I think people should see A Man for All Seasons. I firmly believe, in the words of Oscar Wilde, that "Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life." This play, this conflict between Thomas More, his family, and King Henry VIII, informs our understanding of what it means to have a conscience. Bolt challenges us to explore what it means to have an integrity and what having integrity means in our most intimate relationships. Also revealed in this play is the corrupting influence of political power. I think that every person grapples with these themes, experiences, and issues.A Man for All Seasons is an important play for people to see. The promotional video guys didn't end up using my interview for the promotional video. Frankly, I feel so relieved; it was awful. May you forego the trappings of intelligent-sounding language the next time you are in an interview. Enjoy the show!
by Jessa Cunningham, dramaturg After the show wrapped up and people went their separate ways, Garret Rushforth, who played Wilbur, and I chatted and I asked him some questions about his experience with the play. What better way to gain insight about the show than from the actor who was in the thick of things from the very beginning? Here is what Garret had to say about this unique opportunity: Me: How was this experience of playing Wilbur? What was your Favorite aspect of it all? Garret: I loved playing Wilbur. My favorite aspect was discovering the character more and more each performance. I never really felt that I had learned all that the character had to offer. Me: What were some challenges that you faced while preparing for the show? Garret: A few of the challenges that I faced had to do primarily with transportation. My car tried to die a couple of times during the run. As far as developing the show goes, I found that the difficulties were mostly in finding the lines. Not simply reciting them, but discovering what was beneath them, motivating them and making them come to life. Me: What lessons have you learned from playing this part, or just from the play in general? Garret: I've learned that there is an amazing opportunity to find out about yourself from the character discovery process. I also learned how much a family the cast can become if given the opportunity. Me: What is your favorite part of this story? Garret: I love when Wilbur and Charlotte talk about Charlotte's death and Wilbur is so devastated. It showed how deep Wilbur's reliance on Charlotte was as well as his desire to help her too. Me: As you leave this production, what will stay with you? Garret: The friendships I've made and the things that I've learned about myself because of the show. Me: What aspects of your character did you love/latch onto from the beginning? Garret: I latched onto the loneliness aspect of Wilbur's life. For all his life, he'd not been given much of a chance, Fern and Charlotte being the exceptions. He was written off by nearly everyone until Charlotte pointed out how special he is. Me: Any final thoughts you would like to share with those who came to the show? Garret: Charlotte's a web was a show that offered a unique view of friendship and family. It doesn't matter what someone looks like or where they're from, friendship and family can transcend all differences.
