Skip to main content
Test

Welcome to the 4th WALL

by Janine Sobeck, BYU Dramaturgy Specialist As a dramaturg, one of the best parts of the the job is when you get to open up the world of the production to the audience.  Whether its historical context, insider information from the rehearsal room, or conversations with the creative team (and so much more), we love to give you everything you need to have a fully enriched - and extremely enjoyable - evening at the theatre. Here at Brigham Young University, the dramaturgs are exploring all the possible ways to do this very thing.  While you may have already seen us in the program study guides or moderating post show discussions, we are now happy take it one step forward by introducing "The 4th Wall: the TMA dramaturgY project." Here on the 4th Wall you will see posts from dramaturgs, playwrights, production team members and more.  The goal is simple: to provide new insights, perspectives and information about the theatre productions on the BYU stage.  Whether you are interested in one particular show or want to learn about the whole season, we invite you to follow along as we take you inside the world of each and every production. So to all our audience members (and any other interested parties), we say, "Welcome to the 4th Wall."  It's going to be a grand journey.

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Until Next Time, Microburst

July 26, 2022 12:00 AM
by Holly Mancuso, dramaturg After a successful run, Microburst Theatre Festival has wrapped up for this year. If you missed it, make sure you join us next year for a fresh round of new plays written by students. As part of the show we created boards for the lobby highlighting each of the shows. Different drafts showed how much these plays have changed since the first drafts, which was fun for audiences to see. [caption id="attachment_3667" align="aligncenter" width="3264"] The Microburst lobby display[/caption] As part of this process, the production team has grappled with the question: "Why new plays?" This is a fair concern, since many people don't feel comfortable seeing something with which they aren't familiar. It's also easier to be drawn in by a known name
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

It's All So Very... British! (Part 2)

July 26, 2022 12:00 AM
Playwright Philip King knew how to get the laughs. Much of the humor in See How They Run is the contrast of American and English cultures. America's entrance into WWII and subsequent support of the United Kingdom led to many American troops stationed in England. Those troops brought their American culture and customs. Consequently, 1940s Britain was suddenly learning a lot about our culture; some of it they liked and some of it they didn't but Philip King's ability to find the humor in American/England cultural differences contributed to See How They Run's success. BBC America: 10 American Habits Brits Will Never Understand See How They Run's current version was purposefully revised for an American audience. In fact, the play has gone through more than one big change. The original script was a one act farce titled Moon Madness produced at Peterborough Reperatory in 1942. A few years later it went to Comedy Theatre on London's West End and it was there that King added a second act and renamed it See How They Run. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="343"] See How They Run first appeared in London during Hitler's second Blitz of Southern England news1.ghananation.com/international[/caption] Opening night on the West End was an exciting event. Rumor has it that during the show, three bombs dropped on London but even Hitler's Blitz could not stop the laughs. The show continued without a pause but George Gee, the actor playing Clive, later complained that all three bombs dropped during his funniest lines. See How They Run was so successful it continued for 600 more performances. In 1949, the show was once again revised and re-staged, this time in America. King changed Clive and Penelope to American characters to appeal to the local audience. Also, with the end of the Second World War and the rise of the Cold War, the original Nazi intruder was changed to a Russian spy. This is the version we present to you this year.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

test

July 26, 2022 12:00 AM
story emporium
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=