BWW Blog: Art Prevails Through Travel Theatre at Samford

Ephemeral. Innovative. Transportive. These are just a few words that have been used to describe Samford Theatre Underground's Travel Theatre. This engaging event took place at outdoor spots across Samford University's campus and provided students a way to experience the arts during a time when theatre-makers are limited. Additionally, Travel Theatre gave opportunities for writers, directors, and actors to grow their craft. In total, eight short plays written by students were produced and over seventy students were able to be a part of something "greater than themselves." Audience members were divided into five groups and traveled along a specific path in order to see every play. This meant that the actors performed each piece five times over the course of the two-hour time span. Everyone was excited to experience live theatre again, and one student, Anna Lynn Starr, even called the event a "life-giving experience" due to the hope it inspired.

Many students, including Anna Lynn Starr, decided to participate in Travel Theatre in order to challenge themselves as actors or directors.

Anna Lynn Starr (Senior, Theatre for Youth major) stated that she decided to participate in two different facets of travel theatre, acting and directing, in order to "experiment with the new parameters of theatre and see how we can work within those boundaries creatively and safely." Travel Theatre encouraged participants to think outside of the norm. For example, the directors were limited by social distancing when blocking. As director of A Light, Anna Lynn commented that "it was a challenge to communicate relational closeness between characters while maintaining a six foot distance." Anna Lynn also performed in a one-woman play titled, Smokeseed. A challenge in performing came from having to perform five times in a row. In response to this challenge, Anna Lynn says that "I attempted to create an internal narrative that crafted a motivation for reliving the entirety of the monologue again. This made each repetition slightly different but still feel as if it was a part of a larger character arc." Samford artists, such as Lydia Yates, were reminded of why they love theatre through participation in Travel Theatre.

Lydia Yates (Junior, Musical Theatre major) states, "It was odd to be dipping my toes back into the role of in-person director, but ultimately felt so right and fulfilling." Accoutrement was the piece that Lydia directed for the event, and being involved with theatre reignited Lydia's passion for it. Lydia says, "I'd forgotten how fun it is to be a director and how many ideas can come to life when we're in the same physical space together." Ultimately, Lydia finds joy in creating something new in the context of a team. Lydia states, "Collaborating with [the actors] reminded me of why I do theatre: to create [something] together."

For student playwrights, like Lana Stringer, it was exciting to see their work come to life. Lana Stringer (Junior, Theatre major) states, "As a writer, you can read your work aloud, workshop it, and even insert stage directions, but it is impossible to know how a work is going to translate when it is developed, staged, and directed." Travel Theatre produced two of Lana's pieces, Smokeseed and Accoutrement. Upon watching her plays performed, Lana says, "Seeing a work you have put so much effort into finally be completely realized is [both] gratifying and affirming as a writer, especially if it's better than you imagined." Both of Lana's short plays feature unconventional characters not typically seen on the Samford stage. When reflecting on her choices of characters and themes, Lana states, "Both pieces ask the audience to make themselves uneasy in order to be able to sympathize with people they may not ordinarily understand. The reward for doing so is, hopefully, to emerge a more well-rounded person with greater empathy and understanding of the vastness of the world."

Trent Carruth and many other artists enjoyed working together creatively. Trent Carruth (Senior, Studio Art major, Theatre & Film Production minors) states, "My favorite part of participating in Travel Theatre [was spending] time with others involved in the arts to help lift each other up creatively." Not only did Trent write the piece A Light, he also performed in The Ticket. In regards to his acting, Trent states, "Since I am not a theatre major, the chance to perform in front of others live is such a rare and thrilling experience, albeit nerve-wracking." Trent elaborates on his decision to write, as well as act, saying, "As an artist, I've always had a passion for putting effort into as many mediums of expression as I can. I believe [participating in multiple facets of the arts] allows me to become a more creative person." To conclude his thoughts, Trent summarizes, "To be involved in the arts at such a difficult time [is] an achievement in and of itself."

Performing for a live audience was an experience greatly missed by Emily Weaver and other Samford actors.

Emily Weaver (Sophomore, Musical Theatre major) reflects that, "performing live was a rush that [she] had not experienced since December." As one of two actresses in the short play Accoutrement, Emily appreciated getting to perform the piece five times in a row for five different audiences. During quarantine, many artists have struggled with the lack of time in front of a live audience. Emily's favorite part of participating in Travel Theatre "was hearing a live audience react to [the] scene in real time." She further states, "The laughs and gasps of live audiences were greatly missed over quarantine."

Students like Drew Fillinger were grateful for the opportunity to create art provided by the Samford Theatre Underground.

Drew Fillinger (Senior, Journalism/Mass Communications & Theatre double major) states, "The fact that Samford Theatre is providing opportunities like this one amidst a Covid-19 world affirms me in my choice of selecting Samford for my education." Since so many theatre events are going on at Samford, Drew found that scheduling became a bit of a challenge. Drew says, "Even though our industry is almost entirely shut down at the moment, we theatre-makers find a way to stay busy nearly all of the time." Drew directed two different Travel Theatre plays, Liplock and A Heated Argument. Both of the plays were very different, and Drew elaborates by saying, "They were very different in tone and writing style, so it provided an opportunity for my directing to grow and stretch further while also giving more opportunities to talented actors within our program." Drew cast freshmen actors in A Heated Argument and said, "My favorite part of the Travel Theatre process was getting to know [the] two freshmen that I worked with!"

Several freshmen, such as Alexis Wentworth, made their Samford debuts in Travel Theatre.

Alexis Wentworth (Freshmen, Theatre for Youth major) states, "I got to be a part of [a] little piece of Samford Theatre history. The whole setup was something I'll never forget, and it will probably always remain as one of [my] most unique performances." Alexis, who is only a freshman, was cast in a one-woman show titled On the Steps. Single-person pieces can be intimidating for any performer, but Alexis took the challenge in stride. Alexis shares, "I loved working one-on-one with the director and being able to explore just a single character." While there were some nerves, Alexis enjoyed the performance and states, "It was a bit scary, but for sure an experience I won't forget!"

Overall, Travel Theatre was a successful event that provided hope and joy to Samford artists.

After experiencing Travel Theatre, the general consensus of everyone involved is that the arts will prevail...

Lana Stringer says, "The magic of creating live theatre permeates the 6-foot space bubble. There's something unexplainable about it. It felt weird, magical, encouraging, different, a bit sad, and a lot hopeful. Artists are resilient."

Anna Lynn Starr commented on the adaptability of theatre stating, "While shifting primarily to outdoor venues was not what we as student artists expected for this year, I do believe it has increased the accessibility of art for students on campus in a way we had not yet explored before."

Lydia Yates beautifully states, "Though we can't have full-scale productions, have more than 50 people in a room at once, [or] speak within 6 feet of another person, we persevere. Art prevails. We create because we must. We create because we are human, and we have big stories to tell. I am so proud of my program for their innovation and devotion to their students' creative growth."

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