Time it is a-Changin'

by Rick Curtiss, dramaturg

The times they are a-changin’ ― Bob Dylan sung that. I wouldn’t go as far as to attribute the quote to him. It seems too foundational to have been discovered in the twentieth century, and I wouldn’t be surprised if our first nation ancestors looked at the dwindling mammoth herds and shrugged ― The times they are a-changin’.

The times they are a-changin’ with MicroBurst Theatre Festival as well.

The director has changed. After being successfully spearheaded by George Nelson for two seasons, the reign has been passed to Roger Sorenson. The new director brings new ideas, and the new idea is new directors. Six student directors have joined the production. Then thirteen writers with thirteen short plays were fished out of a sea of submissions joining a design team, stage manager, two dramaturgs, and a partridge in a pear tree (if needed.)

The whole thing certainly feels festive.

Theater naturally migrates toward a production community, but MicroBurst demands it. It is bringing together different personalities, approaches, and aesthetics. All jobs are shared, and all jobs are important.

I get to coordinate with my fellow dramaturg, Janine; and the head director, Rodger; and the student directors; and the the writers; and did I mention one of the writers is Janine; and I also wrote one play; and have to interface with everyone in that capacity as well? It’s exhilarating, honestly. Maybe not to everyone’s taste, but all the moving pieces allow for unique ideas, and; full disclosure, more than a little anxiety. Mainly because we look at all the work to do and ask when are we going to find the

time?

And there it is again. The little four letter word that stands as the theme for this year’s MicroBurst. The plays direct time, and the directors play with time. It loops, and repeats, and stretches. It rushes, and stops, and segues. It lives and it dies. It changes. This year at MicroBurst time is literally a-changin’ which I don’t think even Bob Dylan could have anticipated.

The Times They Are A-Changin'-Bob Dylan

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Microburst Theatre Festival (2016)

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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.

Time it is a-Changin'

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Julius Caesar Dramaturgy Resources

Elizabethan England

Historical Time Periods of Julius Caesar