4 minute read
Uplifting Return
Photos by Benji Inniger
Fall productions clockwise from above: Rikki Tikki Tavi, Black-Eyed Susan, and The Theatre Physics Christmas Radio Show.
BY AMBER MURRY • BETHANY SENIOR ENGLISH MAJOR
Theatre takes on three productions for fall
The cancellation of the Spring 2020 production of Treasure Island due to the ongoing pandemic came as a huge disappointment to the whole Bethany community, but most of all for those who were directly involved in the production. The future seemed bleak, but Bethany Lutheran College and its Theatre Department don’t give up so easily.
The opportunity to return onstage came in the fall semester of 2020, but with many caveats. Now-familiar rules and limitations on building capacities, social distancing, and the use of masks may seem like insurmountable difficulties for a production, but the Theatre Department has managed to produce not just one or two, but three productions for the Fall Semester, each with a different director.
“We’ve been calling them ‘bubble shows’ because they’re much smaller than usual. They have fewer cast members and aren’t as long in terms of time. It’s part of an effort to get as many students involved in the theatre as we can without having them on stage all together at the same time,” explained Associate Theatre Professor Benji Inniger, the director of the bubble show Rikki Tikki Tavi.
The other two shows of the season were Black-Eyed Susan and The Theatre Physics Christmas Radio Show, directed by Adjunct Theatre Instructor Emily Kimball and Department Chair Peter Bloedel respectively.
Black-Eyed Susan was the first of these bubble productions and took place in early October. Because of the warmer weather, this production was unique in that it was held outdoors under a large tent set up on the Bethany Green. The minimalist set depicting the naval setting of this melodrama from 1829 were reminiscent of the hopes for Treasure Island, but the content of the play took a much less serious approach to storytelling.
Kimball explained the plot of the story by saying, “It was about this sailor who returns home to his wife, who can’t pay her rent, which is a big stereotype of that kind of drama. We thought about all the ways in which we could really milk that goofy energy.”
In some ways, the safety restrictions of the pandemic led to even further comedic action. The reunion between husband and wife involves a long embrace which had to be carried out from opposite ends of the stage.
Inniger has also been able to benefit from some of the difficulties of the pandemic in his production of Rikki Tikki Tavi by using creative masks to portray some of the animal characters of the play.
“We wanted to incorporate the mask into how we present the character and make it into an intentional choice as opposed to only being a safety measure. We wanted it to feel natural,” said Inniger, who believes this pandemic provided the perfect excuse to direct this childhood favorite of his. “Putting a bunch of people in weird animal costumes is not the way to go with something like this, but the masks were perfect.”
Even this year’s version of Theatre Physics looked a little different from the entirely black background that normally allows quick set changes between skits. Since the skits this year were performed as parts of a radio broadcast, the set was able to depict the studio in which all the action took place. The script for this play was written by Bloedel himself, which also offered some unique opportunities for those who couldn’t attend the performance in person.
Due to the need for physical distancing, audiences were spaced out for the two productions held in the Sigurd Lee Theater.
Photo by David Norris
In fact, because of the rules of public domain for Black-Eyed Susan and permission from the writer of Rikki Tikki Tavi, each of these Bethany theatre productions has been put online through YouTube for everyone to enjoy, whether they were able to see it in person or not.
Though the scale of this year’s theatre productions at Bethany was significantly smaller, the challenges that were presented to and overcome by the Bethany Theatre Department have made their marks in many ways. The directors and cast members were able to pursue new avenues of storytelling while also reminding themselves of what is truly important.
Perhaps Bloedel said it best: “Bethany is here for something more important than theatre. We are a school that purports the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe that God tests his people in various ways, and I think we need to look at this as a test. He tests His people and their mettle so they can look inward and reflect. If these things are making us a little more thankful to him than we were, I don’t think that’s an accident.”
VIEW VIDEO AND PHOTOS FROM PAST PRODUCTIONS:
