Everybody travels through life trying to find people to rely upon and accompany unto death.
“Everybody” is a modern adaptation based on one of the earliest known English language plays on morality, “The Summoning of Everyman.”
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins wrote the adaptation and KT Turner, a University of Idaho Master of Fine Arts candidate, directed it.
It’s a dark comedy based on power, identity, diversity and fate. This production contains adult language, situations and is intended for mature audiences.
Admission is free for UI students, $10 for individuals, $20 for group passes and matinees are “pay what you can.”
Showtimes and dates are 2 p.m. Pacific time, March 13-14.
This play uses a lottery system to choose actor roles for every show. This randomized choosing represents life and death.
Turner said each actor had to create a character from nothing, using their own strengths and experiences to bring the characters to life. They had to schedule precisely to rehearse each role within a scene. She stated she had never done something like this before.
At the beginning of the play, the audience is taken through the Hartung theatre by an Usher going over rules for attending the play in-person.
Turner said she wanted portions of the play to be performed in-person in the theatre even though it was a virtual event. The department maintained close contact with COVID-19 precautions on campus to make sure they followed the school’s guidelines.
The play starts after the theatre rules and takes the audience on a journey through life starting with death.
The main character, Everybody, tries to find someone to accompany them on the journey to the end of life throughout the play.
This isn’t as easy as it sounds, which Everybody eventually figures out.
This play came into Turner’s life at a time when she was stressed and hurt. She read the play and was hit with a reminder people are more alike than different.
Andrew Yoder is the sound designer and grip, meaning he’s responsible for camera equipment, for the play. He has won three national awards for sound design.
Yoders’ views are different than the ideas in the play, but some of the concepts helped remind him “to hold onto the good in life and not let the mundanity of day-to-day life overshadow the beauty.”
Yoder said sound designing was easy for the virtual portions. His job as a grip during filming was more difficult, partially since he was “learning on the fly.” It mostly came down to communication.
“My heart will always lie in music, it’s always my first step in my process of design to create an inspiration playlist based on how the show made me feel,” Yoder said. “This sets the foundation for the rest of the design.”
The greatest challenge he had with the sound design was balancing his vision with his colleagues. Each show has a different approach, so it’s important to unify the visions into one cohesive concept.
Kevin Russell, stage manager, said this was his first mainstage production with the theatre department. He has worked on several shows prior to UI.
Russell said his role in the production of the play was stressful as a student since a lot was expected of him, but he had brilliant people on the theatre team to work with.
He hopes the play gives people more questions and thoughts to think about after watching it.
“This show can really make you think about what is important in life, especially when we are currently living in a world of pandemic, war, disagreement, instability,” Russell said.
Luke McGreevy, an actor who plays a somebody, said the cast spent quality time sharing about themselves from their fears to motivations to pet peeves and everything in between to know each other on a deeper level.
One of his favorite memories rehearsing for “Everybody” was being in the Hartung for the first time following COVID-19 guidelines.
“It was like lighting a candle in a dark room; I could actually see people’s eyes,” McGreevy said. “We tried to take as much energy as possible from those brief rehearsals and put them into our live-streamed performance.”
To McGreevy, this play is about “surrendering to the unknown.” It’s about trying to control and take until Love helps you let it go and let it be, whatever it may be.
Brindle Brundage is the scenic designer for the play. She had to create an overall aesthetic for the scenes and design with two versions in mind. The first design for the Hartung, and the second for the individual Zoom rooms.
Brundage said it kept her on her toes ensuring the two locations were cohesive.
Before COVID-19 shutdowns, designing was normally planned before rehearsals began. However, rehearsals began close to the time as design meetings.
Brundage and her team made quick decisions to serve the show and actors while keeping everyone safe. She pushed the Zoom boundaries of the scene changes using green screens while trying to make everything easier for the cast to operate without a crew during the live sections.
“The Zoom setting felt very limiting at first but learning to be flexible as challenges came up made for a very different, yet fun, experience,” Brundage said.
The play is special to her because it was “a breath of fresh air during these struggling times.” It reminded her although she’s an individual, she’s not alone.
“People from all sorts of different backgrounds experience similar life challenges and lessons,” Brundage said. “We all experience fear, loss and love, so it is important to be kind and acknowledge our similarities, not our differences.”
For more information on “Everybody,” go to the Theatre Arts Department website.
https://www.uidaho.edu/class/theatre/productions-and-events/everybody
Kim Stager can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @journalismgoals