Changing TAC-tics

Any growth in interest for the Theatre Department is in no doubt partially the doing of the Theatre Appreciation Club (TAC).

TAC is a club that was founded by SAU theatre seniors Luke Peterson and Ellie Larson during their sophomore year of college. Throughout the past two years, TAC has had an impressive number of events for theatre majors and non-majors alike to appreciate the art in a more casual way. Unfortunately, like all things performing arts related, TAC has had to adapt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Theatre Appreciation Club has stepped up to the challenge and will offer several opportunities for theatre-makers this semester. The first event to keep your eyes open for is the annual Fresh Face Revue. However, everyone involved has to think outside the box this year.

"The Fresh Face Revue is an annual tradition that takes place near the end of October that gives all the first-year faces a chance to perform", said Luke Peterson, TAC Director. "Things will look a little different this year. But I know myself and all of the student directors are looking forward to working with the first-years so they still have an awesome performance opportunity, even though there won't be a live audience."

The Fresh Face Revue will be available for viewing at the end of October.

For those who wish to try their hand at creating, or those who maybe want to originate a role, early November brings the opportunity of a lifetime. For the second year in a row, TAC will be presenting an evening of staged readings of original student written plays.

"We're still working out some of the details," Peterson said," I can tell you that all of the plays performed will be written by students, performed by students, and directed by students, which is always super fun."

While many enjoy the performance aspect of theatre, TAC strives to offer a multitude of useful experience regardless of any pandemic. This year, TAC will be partnering with published playwright Ike Holter in the middle of November to discuss one of his plays via a Zoom session.

"Once again, we're still ironing out the specifics," said Peterson. "But we're super excited to bring this guest speaker to our students. There are so many important conversations to be having right now and we look forward to hearing about all of his insights. We're so grateful that he is coming to speak to us."

In a time where uncertainty is prevalent, there is a necessity for art and creativity. Theatre has always served as more than just a form of entertainment, and the art form is more enriching than the popular commercialized shows such as Heathers and Frozen. Theatre has always been an adaptable artform and adaptability is key. As always, any updates on TAC's endeavors can be found in future newsletter articles. The SAU Theatre Department is determined to carry on no matter the odds, and TAC is no exception.