Playwrights have the opportunity to change the world with their works. As Professor Shelley Graham states, “it takes a brand new text dealing with what's going on in the world right now to change the world.”
A few weeks ago, Microburst Theatre featured the premiere of six brand new 10-minute plays written by student writers Charlotte Westover, Thomas Petrucka, Darci Ramirez, Andrew-Elijah Schindler, Avery Dall-Hilton, and Bethany Teames. These up-and-coming playwrights are entering the world of change-making thanks to the opportunity Microburst gives to produce their works.
Shelley expresses that the unique goal of Microburst Theatre, “is to support student writers and give them a chance to see their work. A costume designer has a chance to see their costume being built. Makeup designers get to see their makeup on faces. But playwrights—unless you give them a cast, a director, and a set—they don't get to see their work up on stage. So this is our chance to support the student writers in that way.”
In that spirit, these six talented student playwrights were each given the opportunity to workshop their scripts all summer long with one of three student dramaturgs–Spencer Fields, Lillian Bills, and Jessie Pew. Once the fall semester began, auditions were held and the rehearsal period took off. Five weeks later, the works of each student playwright were brought to life on the West Campus Studio Theatre stage under the direction of Kristie Post Wallace and assistant director Emma Larsen.
Each night, a post-show discussion was held. But unlike a typical discussion about the production between actors, directors, and audiences, the Microburst Theatre post-show discussion focuses on the script. The playwrights are given the opportunity to hear feedback on their writing from fresh eyes. Shelley emphasizes, “It's so valuable as a young writer to hear other people's perspectives on your work who have never read it or seen it before. It's super helpful to have a dramaturg who's been your partner all along, giving you feedback, and who knows the play very well. But it’s totally different to get a response from an audience member who's not artistically invested in the piece.”
Microburst Theatre is one of the many special opportunities BYU gives its students to grow and develop professionally–bringing the kind of learning that comes not only through workshops and rehearsals and feedback, but also through a gospel setting. Shelley reiterates the beautiful blend between BYU’s spirit-led learning and the impact students will take with them into the world– “Where else in the world do we want the voice of the Spirit to speak through our artists, if not here at BYU? Where else can we channel the power of the gospel’s influence in our art making, if it's not here at BYU? And so we give these young writers a chance to see what it means to do their best to be inspired by the Spirit, to write by the Spirit, and to craft stories that are meaningful to them that address the world and their lives right now.”