Countless butterflies flooded Mitchell Theatre’s stage. Their presence transcended time, mirroring the emotion felt by seniors Hannah Wylie, a theatre arts and English education major, and Ris Bland, a musical theatre major.
Bland and Wylie collaborated together to present two performances in one night: a senior theatre showcase and a one-act capstone project.
Wylie’s one-act play, “I Never Saw Another Butterfly,” was a culminating show that finalized her work in a theatre directing class.
Wylie and Manning worked on the play during the semester, but rehearsals did not begin until April 17th. Approximately 15 people were involved during the whole process, and the production co-starred sophomore Hadleigh Brown, a social studies education major, and junior Grace Bradshaw, a musical theatre major.
Bradshaw played the main narrator role of Raja Englanderova, while Brown was cast as her teacher, Irena Synkova. Located in the Jewish ghetto of Terezin, Czech Republic, the story uncovered a poignant moment in history when Jewish children were enduring captivity under Nazi rule.
The character, Englanderova, narrated her intense experiences as she watched close friends leave the ghetto knowing that they were headed off to concentration camps, Brown said. Synkova acted as a facilitator of hope to the children under her care, as their parents were being sent to Auschwitz.
Brown felt deeply that these characters should have Jewish representation. After several discussions, she and Bradshaw became involved with the project, both being Jewish.
“I've kind of fallen in love with the character I get to play, and it's just been such an immense honor to process the Holocaust in a really unique way,” Brown said.
Brown praised Wylie for her sensitive and artistic eye, bringing the play to life and giving the audience a chance to process what those children went through at that point in history.
At the end of the play, a beautiful collection of paper butterflies was displayed—some made by Brown—to remind the children, but more importantly the audience, that human lives are priceless and freedom is beautiful.
Meanwhile, Bland spent a semester curating, preparing, collaborating and rehearsing for her senior showcase—although she squeezed in enough time to design the set for Wylie’s play.
The process of creating a showcase for Bland involved partnering with other colleagues in the music, theatre and dance department. Together, they would perform scenes from plays and music pieces, highlighting the skills Bland had honed while at Taylor, Tracy Manning, assistant professor of theatre arts and managing & artistic director of theatre, said.
Bland performed monologues, scenes, dances and songs. She curated a wide variety of genres, from comedy to drama, showcasing her range as a performer. While each piece had its own style, Bland said she organized the subject material so that the themes would transition smoothly.
Contrasting emotions and patterns were apparent everywhere, with Bland’s operatic soprano solo of “There Go I,” from the movie “Days of Wine and Roses,” followed by a scene from a play titled “The Flick,” where she played a manic-pixie dream girl at a dance party.
Bland reflected on her love for “Time Stands Still,” a play in which she acted out a scene with sophomore Jack Anderson, an accounting major.
“I really like the themes of it,” Bland said. “How it talks about storytelling and journalism and the cost of it—both for the people who are being reported about and who are doing (the) reporting.”
Bland explored traditional musical theatre dance choreography as well as modern dance styles.
Her performance as part of a dance trio in “When the Chips are Down,” from the Broadway musical “Hadestown,” emphasized a stylized aspect that evaded traditional, structured movements.
In contrast, Bland finished the night with a large dance number composed of friends in music and theatre majors, choreographed to “A Tough Act to Follow” from “Curtains,” a musical. In a whirl of activity, dancers partnered up and showcased traditional lifts and spins.
Bland said that the last few weeks were challenging, as she has been involved in rehearsing for four shows. Her time was split between playing the role of Sarah Brown in “Guys and Dolls,” creating her own showcase, being the set designer for “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” and being a guest performer in Josiah Friesen, a music theory and composition major’s showcase.
While Bland has a contract lined up after her graduation, she said she doesn’t know when she will be auditioning for another theatre role in the near future. She has been trying to remain in the present, describing the chaos as a beautiful blessing.
“It's kind of a last hurrah—almost being steeped in all of this theatre and music and artistry,” she said. “I'm trying really hard to stay present and soak it all in.”
