Editor’s Note: The online version of this article was updated on Oct.12, 2021 for clarification.
The Taylor Theatre department has been an integral part of the local arts community. This semester and J-term, they are putting on some can’t-miss shows.
Although they have already performed “Borrowed Babies” from Sept. 10–12, they continue to keep the train rolling with numerous exciting performances ahead.
Starting during Homecoming Weekend (Oct. 9–11), the playback theatre will be putting on a show called “Remembering.” The premise of this show will involve the audience presenting real life stories to the actors. The actors will then act out the stories, improvising whenever possible. This will prove to be a challenge even for the veteran actors but will be entertaining, nonetheless.
In addition, they will be performing another play called “Women of Lockerbie” in late October.
“Women of Lockerbie” tells the story of Pan Am flight 103 and is set in the year 1988. The plane was bombed mid flight, resulting in the pieces raining down on the small town of Lockerbie, Scotland. As a result, a group of women fought the U.S. government in order to wash and return the clothes of the crash victims.
Even though it is a rather simple story, it is elevated and made unique by its reliance on structure. The play is told in the form of a classic Greek tragedy Additionally, the play will contain many dance and musical numbers. The play will be shown over two weekends from Oct. 29–31 and Nov. 5–7.
Toward the end of the semester, Taylor Theatre will be performing their senior theatre. The senior theater consists of seven one-act plays, each of which are directed and put on by seven Taylor students as part of their final capstone project. These plays will be shown at the end of the semester.
Finally, during J-Term, lyric theater will be putting on a performance of “Little Woman,” based on the 1868 novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott. The musical will follow the coming-of-age story of the March Sisters as they navigate awkward adolescent years and familial relationships.
While the performances on stage are great, it is what the Taylor Theatre is doing off stage with the Alpha Psi Omega Fraternity that is truly inspirational.
The Alpha Psi Omega fraternity is a theatre service fraternity that seeks to engage more with the community. The fraternity will be hosting service projects and teaching performance classes including workshops, acting, writing, dancing and various other performance-based classes.
“The Goal of the fraternity is to bring more people into the Taylor Theater department,” senior theatre major Emma Dahlquist said.
In essence, the Taylor Theatre department hopes to gain wider recognition not only on campus but in the surrounding community. This will be accomplished by its wide variety of productions from improv to classics, adaptations and contemporary shows. In addition, the department wants to show they are more than a one-trick pony by giving back to the surrounding community in the hopes of inspiring future generations of actors, actresses, playwrights and directors. All of this will be done with the unique Taylor twist of faith, hard work, compassion and, of course, fun.
