Staff Writer- Shy Lee
Get ready to watch The Secret in the Wings opening performance unfold from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 19th, 20th, and 21st at Anderson Theatre as the play highlights the “nature of dreams, nightmares, and storytelling through the eyes of those who experience it,” Director and Assistant Professor of Theatre & Dance Ernest Briggs noted. Additionally, The Secret in the Wings will have a matinee from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 22nd at Anderson Theatre. Originally written by Author Mary Zimmerman, The Secret in the Wings will be performed by a variety of students from theatre, history, and statistics majors.
“It’s about learning to love things. You know, especially things that we might perceive to be monsters, but finding the love in all of those things and finding love through stories, I think is really what it is,” Professor Briggs shared.
Briggs wishes for that to make an impact on viewers. “Secret in the Wings is relevant today, because we still tell stories, we still have dreams and nightmares, but mostly because every once and a while we need to be reminded of the whimsy of our childhoods,” Briggs added.
Looking past the surface, the story holds deep meaning and is being used to show others the impact of recognizing things that may not be deemed as lovable. A person’s childhood is their story, alongside their memories, dreams, and nightmares.
The play takes a flexible approach to The Secret in the Wings, including pieces of ideas from various actors and stagehands. “I could talk about the actor end of things, but I think, more importantly, it’s been a very collaborative effort between the designers and the directors. The show has been collaborative in the sense that every designer has added something that they wanted to or touched on,” Stage Manager and Junior Eleanor Osmond expresses.
A crucial piece of the play includes the work of puppetry; however, it is unknown as to how it will affect the play.
“This production is going to lean a lot on shadow puppetry, which our costume designer, Lori Land, has taken a big part of as the shadow puppetry master in this show. It’s gonna be a very different show in that way because I don’t think it’s ever been performed that way in other places,” Professor Briggs said.
Junior Madison Walker, a student actor, takes on the role of many. “I play the fourth man, and the fourth man has multiple roles. I am a puppeteer in some scenes, I play one part of a dancing couple, I play Suitor 548, I play one of the seven sons, I play Papa later in the story, and then I have a choreography role when it comes to Snake Leaves Princess,” Walker said.
Everybody participating in the show has adapted to a variety of roles that require precision and teamwork, all coming together to create a show for everyone to take in.
“All of us who are on stage are getting recognition, but the people who work in the booth, people who work on the lighting, tech, our scenic shop, who built the set, we wouldn’t have a show without them. You’d have actors on stage performing lines, but without the costume shop, you’re not gonna have costumes; without the lighting, you’re not gonna have this surreal lighting to get that story behind; and without the scenic shop, you’re not gonna have a production set. I think even as an actor, they should get more recognition,” Walker said.
With little recognition, the backstage crew work for many hours creating a set fit for the actors and storyline. It is not just the backstage crew, but the actors as well who work hard to create the perfect show.
“If you are joining theatre, you have to allocate a lot of your time to learning lines, learning choreography, and ensuring that you remember those lines. You have to dedicate more time outside of rehearsal, or else you’re gonna fall behind,” Walker added, speaking on both the backstage and actors.
From the first week of January, the team has been powering through to get where they need to be, according to Professor Briggs. During that time, there has been work done on the rehearsals and backstage.
“We have five designers. We have one student designer: she’s the assistant designer for costumes. We have all the crew, so we have a soundboard op, lightboard op. We have three deck crew, two hair and makeup, two wardrobe. Then, we have everyone who works in the shops. There’s like twenty people in the scenic shop, eighteen people in the costume shop, and ten in lighting and sound. It’s a lot of people,” Osmond revealed.
“Tech week starts this Thursday and Friday,” Professor Briggs adds. There is even more to expect from this crew.
“If you like Grimm’s Fairy Tales, I think you should come and see this play,” Walker remarks. A performance with mystery behind it, Professor Briggs has decided to keep the plot a secret for those who choose to come and watch. See the art of theatre and learn about The Secret in the Wings by securing a ticket on Hometown now.