Staff Writer- Cora Hess
As the end of the 2025 Fall Semester begins its ending weeks, Performance II Class has not halted its semester quite yet. As their devised production, Transforming, nears the upcoming performance, they are ready to share what they’ve been working hard on. With absolutely nothing to start the path of this production besides creative minds, Ernest Briggs, Professor of Theater, states, “No script existed before we got in the rehearsal room; this was created, written, and performed by the ensemble through hard work and dedication to the craft of performance and devised theater.” Join the cast of Transforming from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 13th at the Rob & Judy Gardner Laboratory Theatre as they embark on sharing with you this artistic, actor-written journey.
The structure of a theater production, such as Transforming, started from just creativity and curiosity. Transforming “has four parts of a devised theater process which is all about creating a script from nothing other than inspiration and ideas: idea cultivation, writing, refinement and eventually rehearsal to performance”, Professor Briggs shared. When he brought this challenge to the performing cast, he immediately noted, “how everyone in the cast has answered the challenges I have put in front of them.”
Professor Briggs shared the background of the initial idea to format the production this way. “It was originally chosen from using Charles Mee’s The Four Seasons as a jumping off point to tell a mosaic of tales about living in the world we are in every day and how we are part of a grander story we have to step back from to see.” Each scene has its own season assigned to it. Although in each scene the characters switch, there is always that flow of the arc of the seasons. The show starts with early spring and finds its way back to winter as the show closes out. “I hope it means something different for everyone; it is really about the change that exists within our lives and continues to change over time.” Professor Briggs said.
Sophomore Niko Tahja-Johnson remarks, “It’s been unlike anything I’ve been a part of before.” They are excited to be involved in this performance as the role of Calliope. “She’s an artist, a muse, a conscience, and an absolute disaster of a woman,” they share. After having an experience with working closely alongside a group of fellow artists, Tahja-Johnson shares that, “it felt like pure chaos at times, but I think it resulted in a truly unique product.” Not only does being in a production impact the now, but the time and effort spent on it are irreplaceable. “The writing of this show, the process, the world we got to create together, is something that has become very important to me. I think I’ll treasure it for a long time.”
First-year Anika Wicklund also shares that, “being part of this performance has been so fun. We are very close as a cast, and there are little parts of all of us that shine through in this show. It’s been a long process, but the final product will be worth it.” Wicklund’s role is a character named Jamie, who is the best friend of one of the love interests and is a D&D fanatic. Wicklund points out an overarching theme they love in the show. “I also love the LGBTQ+ representation that we have in this show. Many of the cast members identify as queer, and one of our goals for this production was to make sure that many different identities were represented. I identify as genderfluid, and this is the first time that I’ve had the chance to not only be in a show that features non-binary characters, but also be able to play a non-binary character myself. I’m excited to be able to represent that part of myself on stage.”
Wicklund remarks, “My favorite part of this show to perform is the prologue and epilogue. It’s a little different every time we do it, and there’s a cool surprise during the epilogue.” A common theme surrounding both the prologue and the epilogue is that they are cast favorites. Professor Briggs favors these two sections and commented that they are “something that came directly out of a conversation with a member of the ensemble about a piece of art they created, and it inspired the beginning and end of the production.” Tahja-Johnson shares similar opinions on the beginning and end: “There’s something haunting about them, and I’m OBSESSED.”
Tahja-Johnson would like all the Gusties to know that this production “was truly a group effort. There are almost no parts of this show that were solely written by one person. Everyone had a bit of a say in everything, so the show feels like it’s coming from a collective voice, which is really dang cool.” The power of multiple voices accumulating to create this production is something that Wicklund notices as well. “We got feedback from each other and our director, Ernest Briggs, but we wrote it all ourselves.”
The hard work does not go unseen, as countless hours have gone into making this production a sight to see. “My estimate would be upwards of 80 hours per person spent on this show by opening night,” Wicklund said. Creativity does not happen overnight, as Professor Briggs said, “I’ll just say I have lived, breathed, and thought about Transforming for about four months straight.”
The cast of Transforming hopes to see you at their performance. “It really is something special!” Tahja-Johnson said.
Professor Briggs ends with this: “At Gustavus, we create creators of art. This production of Transforming is a big example of that; it is new ideas and art being shown to the world, and I am thrilled to have helped guide it to where we are currently in performance.” Find a seat and immerse yourself in the creativity.