BWW Blog: Choosing to Grow: Lessons from Duncan MacMillan's Lungs

What happens when plans are derailed? One must adapt and grow. In mid-March, director Scott Baron, actors Rachel Bass and Jake Lane, stage manager Emily Hankinson, and assistant director Audrey Myers conducted a table read of Duncan MacMillan's Lungs. Little did everyone know, almost six months would pass until the first rehearsal was held. After the wait, Lungs ran from October 7th to 10th and ended up being a different production from the original plan. Samford Theatre Underground's production of Lungs emphasizes the importance of choice, and through the process, cast and crew made the choice to grow and learn with the production. After months of uncertainty surrounding the show, the cast and crew decided to continue with the "topical story in such a scary time" (Jake Lane).

Director Scott Baron (Junior, Acting/Directing major) summarizes the play by stating, "Lungs is the story of a millennial couple navigating what a relationship, living a good life, and starting a family means in the 21st century." Lungs was chosen to be done at Samford due to the conversations had by the two characters, M and W, that deeply resonate with young adults. Jake Lane (Junior, English major Theatre minor) played the male character, M, and states, "The draw of creating a very raw, explosive play in an insular space and then presenting it to a group of people our own age was thrilling to me." Producing and performing Lungs taught the cast, crew and audience various life lessons.

First, in order to become a better person, one must recognize their faults. To say that the characters in Lungs are flawed is an understatement. M cheats on W and then cheats with W. W is overly critical and holds M to standards she herself cannot maintain. However, throughout the play, both of these characters insist that they are "good people." Lighting Designer Tollie Boone (Sophomore, Technical Theatre major) states, "We all feel as if we are good people even if we aren't." In order for these characters to become "good people," they must admit their flaws. Actor Jake Lane states, "Deciding to recognize your faults and how they affect you and others is the first step towards growing into a better version of yourself."

After one recognizes their own faults, one must make a conscious commitment to grow. Actor Jake Lane says, "While we are constantly changing, growth is oftentimes something that takes a definitive effort." On the surface, Lungs is a play in which two characters are just talking. However, many lasting decisions are made throughout the course of the play. While we don't see the results of all of these decisions, the heart of the play is the choice itself. Scott Baron states, "Choice [is] the core principle of the piece. What makes that climax significant is the choice of the characters to accept the chaotic world they live in and to move forward with their lives instead of resigning themselves to an existence of hesitation and worry."

Oftentimes the "right" choice isn't clear, but one must still make a decision. The story in Lungs could have gone wrong a million different ways, just like the production could have. The cast and crew of Lungs chose to continue to believe in and adapt the project just as W and M chose to believe in and adapt their relationship. When faced with a difficult decision, one must take action instead of staying frozen with fear. Director Scott Baron states, "Sometimes no matter how hard you look, search, or attempt to think up a solution, there will never be a clear answer. Ultimately you will have to make a decision based on your own conscience and ideals. And the trick is to make peace with that fact."

Embracing what one can control and choosing to move forward allows for creativity to bloom. After Lungs was initially cancelled, the journey could have ended there. However, the team chose to persist, so the project prospered. Originally, Lungs was going to be performed in a small space with limited technical elements. Director Scott Baron says, "The lights, set, and limitations of space were expanded with a new freedom of choice and vision." Another benefit was the addition of new team members, like assistant stage manager Charlotte Godat. Charlotte Godat (Freshman, Acting/Directing major) states, "I got to witness a show come together from the other side. I am very thankful that I got to help out and be a small part in this amazing production." In conclusion, during this difficult season of life, one must make the conscious decision to grow in spite of the circumstances.

Lungs's team learned that growth must be intentional, and I hope that you, too, make the decision to continuously improve yourself.

A special thanks to the cast and crew of Lungs: Rachel Bass (W), Jake Lane (M), Scott Baron (Director/ Set Designer), Audrey Myers (Assistant Director/ Dramaturg), Emily Hankinson (Stage Manager), Tollie Boone (Lighting Designer), Carson Blalock (Programmer/ Lighting Operator), Charlotte Godat (Assistant Stage Manager), Christian Spect (Master Electrician), Jenna Foster (Photographer). Additionally, the following people provided tremendous support: Madison Merkel, Nicolas DiPrima, Christian Specht, David Glenn, Chris Crews, Laura Byland, Mark Castle, and the Underground Committee.

*Lungs was presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York. **Lungs received its first performance at the Studio Theatre, Washington, D.C., USA on September 28th, 2011, in a rolling world premiere with Paines Plough/Sheffield Theatres. The Paines Plough production opened at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, on October 19th, 2011, and has gone on to be performed all over the UK. The play has subsequently been produced all over the world.

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