And it really is a play that was written with young audiences in mind in particular,” Ashworth said.Īshworth summarized some of the goals the theater department had in producing “North Star.” “Children will be watching it with their family members because everyone's home watching it, so any complex or confusing idea could be explained to the children. They just feel so grateful for everything that she has done.”Īnother benefit to streaming the play is it’s more accessible to kids. “All the actors involved with the play feel the same way.
I just can't speak highly enough of her,” Ashworth said of the playwright. “She's been so generous of her time and her skills and her talents. She remotely directed the reading from her residence in Chicago. The technology has also allowed Clunie to be very involved in the production of her play. And, streaming the production invites a larger audience than ever before. It’s the first play to be completely free. Beyond the new music, “North Star” has brought other firsts to the BYU theater program. The songs the Bonners have recorded are a mix of both historical music and original songs written just for the play. “Harry and Deborah Bonner are actors in our play too, so they are playing two characters in the play, as well as have they recorded some music for the reading,” Ashworth said. There has also been involvement from the community outside of BYU, including members of the Latter-day Saint musical group the Bonner Family. Some of them are in the performing arts majors, some of them are not,” Ashworth said. “Several of our actors who've never acted before, but they were really interested in participating North in this project. “North Star” is the first production with a primarily Black cast to come out of the BYU theater department. But also, the level of detail of historical detail that Gloria weaves into this story is one of the pieces that makes it so educational.” “What’s been so eye opening just to see how many of us didn't know how many children participated in the marches and the incidents in the 60s at the time. So the play has always been relevant, I guess it's just kind of a different lens to look through,” Ashworth said. “There's a relevancy to the 26 year old play that Gloria feels is different than the relevancy when she wrote the play. Playwright Gloria Bond Clunie wrote this play in 1995, but Ashworth said this play is still timely because of the racial reckoning the U.S. It's all those good things you want in a play, but it is educational.” “This is such an amazing opportunity to educate people about the civil rights movement,” Ashworth said. The theatre department at Brigham Young University is putting on the play this weekend and theatre professor Julia Ashworth is excited. “North Star” is a play that follows a character named Relia, who is an adult reflecting on her childhood participation in the Civil Rights Movement.
In fact, for the first time you can watch it in your own home.
Nowplaying utah free theatre full#
Brigham Young University’ theater department is producing a play full of firsts.
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