Skip to main content
4th Wall Dramaturgy
2013 - 2014 Season

Welcome to "The Light in the Piazza"

By Kristen Leinbach,
July 17, 2013 12:00 AM

by Kristen Leinbach, Dramaturg

Piazza is defined as a small open square usually located in an Italian town. So what exactly is the Light in the piazza as referred to in the title of the upcoming production of The Light in the Piazza at BYU in Fall 2013?
          

The Piazza

Hello! Welcome to 4th Wall Dramaturgy! My name is Kristen Leinbach and I am the Dramaturg for BYU’s production of The Light in the Piazza. It is my pleasure to take you on a tour of the backstage processes of creating our production of The Light in the Piazza, directed by Scott Eckern. Having already held a plethora of production meetings, plus auditioning and casting the show, we are well underway on our journey to creating this beloved musical.

Let’s begin with a little bit of back story into the world of The Light in the Piazza. The story covers the adventures of Margaret Johnson and her daughter Clara Johnson on a vacation in Italy in 1953. Upon arrival and after taking time to tour the Italian art and architecture, Clara meets a young Italian name Fabrizio Naccarelli. Although Clara and Fabrizio aren’t able to fully understand each others verbal language, they begin to fall in love. As for the rest of the story . . . .well that you will have to come and see.

While I can’t answer the question what is the Light in the piazza for you, the production will allow people to answer that question for themselves. As our characters journey through Italy, romance and self-discovery it is our hope that you, as the audience, will be able to join them on that same journey. Paraphrased from the words of our director Scott Eckern, The Light in the Piazza takes the characters and the audience on a journey from an “ordinary experience that becomes extraordinary.”

As we move forward in the production process I will keep you up to date on our own journey as we work to bring The Light in the Piazza to life.
 

Tags
Light In The Piazza

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"
Test

"You have been my friend..."

July 26, 2022 12:00 AM
by Jessa Cunningham, dramaturg "You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing." This is one of the most famous lines from the show, and for good reason. This is how Charlotte expresses her gratitude for Wilbur letting her into his life, and now I would like to use it to thank all of you for letting us involved with the show into your life. Thank you for coming to see us, for interacting with us. All of the Lunch and Learns, the post show discussions, and the interactions with the cast after each performance were all for you. These opportunities brought us closer to you, the audience. We have become friends because of this, and hopefully you all have felt that too. I speak for all of us with the show when I say that we have loved getting to know all of you. The relationships that have been formed because of this show alone would make E.B. White smile. Friendships have been forged within the cast, the design team, the crew, and with you. That truly is an amazing thing, and hopefully that helped you to understand the themes of the play a little better.
1 Min Read
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"
Test

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.
1 Min Read
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"
Test

test

July 26, 2022 12:00 AM
story emporium
1 Min Read
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= promoTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= promoTextAlignment=
Previous Next