A play is more than what you see on stage. It’s casting and rehearsals, staging and building sets. It’s developing and learning choreography. It’s figuring out the lighting and any multimedia components. It’s designing and making costumes. It’s researching. A play is not just the final product that the audience sees – it’s all the work and the process behind putting on the production.
Each year, faculty, staff and students in the theatre program at ASU put in this work together to produce a handful of plays as part of the Herberger Institute’s performing arts offerings. These productions allow students, from acting majors and design and production students to others who are interested in participating in theatre, the chance to put their education to practice. The 2019-20 season included a spring production of “The Crucible.” It was set to run after spring break. Opening night was sold out. But the show never made it to the stage. COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the planned performances.
“The first part was coming to acceptance and then just letting go and treasuring what we gained from it.” said Briyannah Simmons, a theatre student and crew member for the show.