Theatre Projects

Each year, BYU students create several theatre productions. The following theatre projects were funded by the Fulton Chair.

Elizabeth Bam
Good Impressions
Pippin

Elizabeth Bam

Produced by Billy Gunn, Directed by Megan Pugmire
Awarded November 2004
For further information, contact: billygunn98@yahoo.com

The goal of this project was to raise awareness about the Russian playwright Daniil Kharms. Kharms was a Russian avant-garde poet-playwright who was repressed and ultimated killed by the Communist Regime in the early 1940s. While there has been a growing interest in his works since they were first published in English in the 1970s, Kharms's works are usually only discussed by Russian literature scholars. Billy Gunn hoped that he could foster a deeper interest in Kharms by staging a production of his play Elizaveta Bam. Originally produced around 1928, Elizaveta Bam is an absurdist play about a woman who is arrested for the murder of one of the people who have come to arrest her. The play is full of non-sequiturs, illogical action, and chaotic changes in tempo. Today Elizaveta Bam is considered a precursor to Eugene Ionesco's theatre of the absurd.

This play involved a tremendous amount of work on the part of the students who collaborated to stage this production. Because contemporary translations of Elizaveta Bam were either too literal or too cumbersome to be effective as stage productions, Billy Gunn retranslated the play from the original Russian for this performance. The designers also spent several hours conducting dramaturgical research. This research was later presented in conjunction with the production in the program notes and lobby exhibits. Following the performances, audiences were invited to engage in a discussion with the cast and crew.

The following is an excerpt from a letter written by Billy Gunn:

Dear Brother and Sister Fulton,

I am so grateful for the opportunity that your generous grant has enabled me to have. I was able to undertake a very unique project of the translation and production of a relatively unknown Russian play, titled Elizabeth Bam.

In every sense, this project exceeded my expectations, and I consider the opportunity provided by the Mary Lou Fulton Chair in Theatre and Media Arts to be one of the most important parts of my academic career.

Many thanks and much love,

Billy Gunn

Good Impressions

Awarded February 2005
For further information, contact: ?

Good Impressions was a recreation of a commedia dell'arte performance. Considered a "rebellious" art form at the time, commedia dell'arte was a medieval theatrical form that was extremely popular in Italy from the 13th and 18th centuries. It required actors to be incredibly skilled in the art of improvisation because, while many of the situations and characters were created beforehand, much of the performance was embellished and varied by the actors. One of the distinctive features of commedia dell'arte is that the characters frequently wear masks to reveal what type of stock character the actor was. Unfortunately, no commedia scripts exist today. All that remains are historical documents and descriptions of what some of the plays may have been like. This performance involved extensive research into this art form.

The following is an excerpt from a letter written by Janine Sobeck:

Dear Fultons,

I am writing to express my appreciation for the generous grant funding that was awarded to me. Through the awarded money I was able to realize my dream of mounting a commedia dell'arte theatre show at Brigham Young University as well as travel back to Italy to attend a commedia dell'arte festival that was being held during the month of June. Both of these experiences will help me in my continued studies as a graduate student.

One of the most rewarding moments was the discussions which followed on the day of the performance. Every audience member wanted to know the rehearsal process that went into the creation of a commedia. . . . The most poignant comment came from a young man who I don't even know. He raised his hand and expressed appreciation for this type of work. He proclaimed that "this performance allowed me to visualize the things that I have studied in my history classes, and it made me feel like I could see what it must have been like." I know that from now on, whenever he studies or thinks about commedia that he will have this performance as a visual reference. Thank you for your generosity and support to students who have the drive to take their studies outside the classroom. You are helping to provide invaluable experience and knowledge to our lives.

Sincerely,

Janine Sobeck

Pippin

Directed by Rebecca Hixson
Awarded February 2005
For further information, contact: theatrepassion@hotmail.com

Pippin is a musical written Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz. The play is based on the medieval legend of Charlemagne's son Pippin, heir to the Holy Roman Empire. The play follows the spiritual journey of Pippin as he searches for happiness in his life. A group of people known as the Players try to deceive him into believing that only temporary, outward pleasures can bring him satisfaction. But in the end, Pippin finds happiness by eventually choosing family life over the facade offered by the Players. Fulton funds were used to stage for the play, specifically to pay for an accompanist for rehearsals and the performance.

On March 14, 2005, Rebecca Hixson wrote:

Dear Fultons,

I wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me the opportunity to refine my talent in theatre. And more importantly, for allowing me to bring forth a production which shared a profound message of the importance of following the will of the Lord, and finding true joy from family life and not outward temporary happiness.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to practice theatre at such a wonderful university, which promotes worthwhile, uplifting theatre. I thank you for giving students the opportunities they need to refine their talents in this area, and bring forth meaningful theatre. You do not know the profound effect you have upon the individual students, or this theatre department as a whole. I thank you deeply!

Thank you,

Rebecca Hixson