Microburst: The Playwright's Imagination

by Andrew Justvig, dramaturg

Theatre is a place of discovery. Some call it an escape. Others may call it a sanctuary from the world. Whatever you call it, the credit for the escape from reality into fiction belongs to the artists that make a stage into a portal to the imagination. Actors, directors, and designers are often the face of theatrical presentations. (They do deserve credit!) However, they too are subject to the imagination of another; they wouldn’t be able to express their talents without the divine creators of plays, musicals, and operas. Who are these "gods" of creation in the theatrical world? They are none other than the playwrights!

At Brigham Young University, the Theater and Media Arts Department’s latest production is all about honoring and showcasing playwrights. Microburst Theatre Festival is a unique opportunity where student writers have a chance to see their work performed. It's a rarity for beginning playwrights, but under the direction and mentorship of BYU Professor, George Nelson, they are given the experience of workshopping their 10-minute plays with actors as they prepare for performances.

This is the fourth Microburst Festival performed at BYU, and the third Nelson has directed. This year Microburst will feature plays by Chelsea Mortenson, Jessica Holcomb, Rylee Witbeck, Alyssa Aramaki, and Brittni Henretty, whose play, Game Four, won first place in its division at the 2016 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Performances will be held in the Nelke Experimental Theater at the Harris Fine Arts Center, November 30 through December 2 at 7:30pm, with a matinee on December 2 at 2:00. Tickets are available at the HFAC box office, or by visiting arts.byu.edu.

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Microburst Theatre Festival (2017)

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by Emme Corbett, dramaturg As a senior student studying history at BYU. One of the first concepts you learn as a history major is that when you study history, it is vital that you do not bring your modern-day biases with you. As strange as some past behaviors or occurrences may be to our modern eyes, understanding the reality of what life was like in historical societies allows for a more authentic and rich study of the past. It also becomes evident fairly quickly that no matter what point in time you’re studying or where you are in the world, there will be commonalities across many cultures. The shared similarity of the human experience allows these connections to occur, so it is no surprise that researching various time periods could be related back to Caesar in Ancient Rome. It was necessary in our dramaturgical research to explore three major time periods that are encompassed within this play in one way or another. These time periods are first, 49 B.C. Rome, when Julius Caesar first became a dictator of Ancient Rome, and the setting for the original script. Second, 1599 England, when William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar was first performed, most likely at the Globe Theatre. And third, 1919 Italy, when Italy was recovering from participating in the First World War, and the setting for our performance at BYU. This weakened state created a situation where authoritarianism could ensue. It was an interesting experience to be able to connect the culture of Ancient Rome to that of Italy in the early 20th century. The reason for choosing this production of Julius Caesar to take place in 1919 Italy is not random. The significance of that time period is to draw upon the reality that history repeats itself. An aspect of history that is repeatedly detrimental to countless societies is when a group of people finds itself weak and vulnerable--whether that is due to lack of resources, a change in leadership, exiting a war, or simply evolving generations--and a power vacuum is created. This moment in time when desperation allows for someone to assume leadership (based purely on the need to rely on anybody) and provide temporary relief is often too quickly turned into an authoritarian government. The third time period that we also had to account for in this production was the time of Shakespeare in 1599 England. Some of the questions we had to ask ourselves were: Why Julius Caesar? What elements from the story of Caesar’s assassination did Shakespeare feel would resonate with his audience? From these questions and further research on the Elizabethan period, we discovered that, like in 1919 Italy, there was a concern with the succession to the Crown. Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne at the time and created conflict among the people beyond her just being a woman in power. Queen Elizabeth never married and subsequently never bore any children, thus failing to secure a successor who was in her direct line. Another element of the play that related to Shakespeare’s audience was the role of the plebeians. Their behavior in the play could symbolize how the lower class in the Elizabethan Era, while uneducated and changeable, contribute largely to the success of their society.

Microburst: The Playwright's Imagination

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Julius Caesar Dramaturgy Resources

Elizabethan England

Historical Time Periods of Julius Caesar