Synopsis
Someone sneezes. Someone can’t get a signal. Someone won’t answer the door. Someone put an elephant on the stairs. Someone’s not ready to talk. Someone is her brother’s mother. Someone hates irrational numbers. Someone told the police. Someone got a message from the traffic light. Someone’s never felt like this before.
In this fast moving kaleidoscope, more than a hundred characters try to make sense of what they know.
Event Information
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Dates Oct. 3-7 @ 7:30p
Dates Oct. 8 @ 1pm & 7:30p
Venue Black Box Theatre - FAC 224, Chase Fine Arts Center, USU
Runtime 01:45 Runtime
Intermission No Intermission -
Content Warning
Adult language and themes. 1 use of "fuck", 3 uses of "shit"; some scenes involve/strongly suggest sex.
Director's Note
Love and Information by Caryl Churchill is a bit of an enigma. It is composed of seven sections, with each section containing seven scenes. The playwright specifies that the seven sections must be performed in the order written, but the scenes within each section may be performed in any order. Further, there are no character names or descriptions, and the playwright states that none of the characters is the same as any other character in the play. All of this means that we have a play comprised of 50 scenes and over 100 characters, with no information given about the situations or the characters other than what they say. It is essentially a theatrical collage – a collection of moments in these characters’ lives.
To bring this play to life, the actors have created specific circumstances and relationships for each of the scenes in which they appear. They have also chosen to perform the scenes in each section in a random order which is revealed to them live on stage during each performance. The mathematics, given the number of scenes, indicates that there are over 35,000 possible combinations of scenes – or 35,000 versions of the play the audience could experience. While you only have the opportunity to see 7 different versions during our run of the show, you can rest assured that each show will be distinctly different from the others – a unique experience created right in front of you as each new scene is chosen.
This play is a fantastic opportunity for actors to work on creating a world without a lot of pre-determined information. And, in our production, they are taking the brave step of not knowing what happens next – they have to be ready to step on stage and play, whenever their scene is chosen. We hope you find this challenge as engaging as we do.
| Role | First Name | Last Name | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan | Adams (he/him) | Actor | |
| Ollie | Chieppa (they/them) | Actor | |
| Brynn | Francis (she/her) | Actor | |
| Mason | Garcia (he/they) | Actor | |
| Mia | Gatherum (she/her) | Actor | |
| Gray | Harding (they/them) | Actor | |
| Harmon | Jackson (they/all) | Actor | |
| Marin | Robison (she/her) | Actor | |
| Dylan | Seely (she/her) | Actor | |
| Ethan | Shaw (he/him) | Actor | |
| Fin | Sheffer (he/him) | Actor | |
| Sumner | Shoell (he/him) | Actor | |
| Willoughby | Staley (she/they/he) | Actor | |
| McKenna | Finley (she/her) | Actor | |
| Understudy | Josh | Wandrey (he/him) | Actor |
| Understudy | Cecily | Udy (she/her) | Actor |
| Understudy | Megan | Bedell (she/her) | Actor |
| Understudy | Camron | Kunz (he/him) | Actor |
| Director | Michael | Shipley | Production Crew |
| Stage Manager | Rhiannon | Tarver | Production Crew |
| Assistant Stage Manager | Robert Mac | Minshew | Production Crew |
| Dramaturg | Cami | Price | Production Crew |
| Lighting Designer | Mark | Hulse | Production Crew |
| Projection Designer | Jacob | Clawson | Production Crew |
| Master Electrician | Taylor | Karns | Production Crew |
| Sound Designer | Arden | Fayard | Production Crew |
| Props Master | Jieun | Hwang | Production Crew |
| Intimacy Captain | Dylan | Seeley | Production Crew |
| Light Board Op | McKenna | Walwyn | Production Crew |
| Sound Board Op | Carter | Lee | Production Crew |
| Production Manager | Amy | Critchfield | Faculty/Staff |
| Technical Director | Amy | Critchfield | Faculty/Staff |
| Tech Advisor | Joshua | Legate | Faculty/Staff |
| Dramaturgy Advisor | Amanda | Dawson | Faculty/Staff |
| Stage Management Advisor | Kelsey | Koga | Faculty/Staff |
| Department Head | Paul | Mitri | Faculty/Staff |
Land Acknowledgement
As a land-grant institution, Utah State University campuses and centers reside and operate on the territories of the eight tribes of Utah, who have been living, working, and residing on this land from time immemorial. These tribes are the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Indians, Navajo Nation, Ute Indian Tribe, Northwestern Band of Shoshone, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, San Juan Southern Paiute, Skull Valley Band of Goshute, and White Mesa Band of the Ute Mountain Ute. We acknowledge these lands carry the stories of these Nations and their struggles for survival and identity. We recognize Elders past and present as peoples who have cared for, and continue to care for, the land. In offering this land acknowledgment, we affirm Indigenous self-governance history, experiences, and resiliency of the Native people who are still here today.