Page to stage Pippin at Shakespeare festival

Encore students recently had the opportunity to travel to Cedar City to see Southern

Utah University’s production of Pippin, directed by Britannia Howe and choreographed

by Danielle Lydia Sheather, who filled these same roles for Encore’s 2023 production of

Newsies. This production of Pippin also featured one of Encore’s alumni Molly Pearson

in the role of Theo, who delivered comedy and poignant emotion to her performance.

Pippin, at its core, is a story about choice and consequence. Audiences follow along as

Pippin is guided by the Lead Player into unusual circumstances of self discovery. With

added insight from the director,

“Pippin [believes] that life must be extraordinary to be

meaningful. But Pippin’s discovery is quieter. Softer. Truer. Life doesn’t have to be

complicated to be good, or grand to be meaningful.

” Diving into these themes as we

watched the story unfold set the audience up for a very meaningful and thoughtful talk

back after the performance.

Joined by the creative team, design team, and cast, our students were able to ask

questions and participate in a great discussion all about the crafting of this wonderful

show. Lighting designer Kolby Clarke discussed the collaborative nature of building his

designs to support story, theme, and vision. Cast members talked about their process

in connecting with and bringing their characters to life. The talk back focused on

choices that were made with creative intention to propel the story in clear and

inspiring ways. It was a fitting way for this discussion to unfold as the story is all about

choice.

This experience truly is what our Page to Stage program is all about, deepening our

students’ understanding of theatre and strengthening their connection to the art form

in meaningful ways. Thank you to Southern Utah University for having us and sharing

a magical evening of theatre with us