After a year and a half without live theater on campus, the Department of Theatre, Film and Creative Writing will make their return this semester.
“The River Bride,” a Brazilian fairytale written by Marisela Treviño Orta, will kick off the season in the Morrison Center at the Danny Peterson Theater on Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m.
After opening night, performances will be held Oct. 2-3 and Oct. 6-10. Sunday shows will begin at 2:00 p.m.
For students with a Bronco ID, tickets are free if reserved in advance or $5 at the door. General admission tickets to “The River Bride” for all other visitors are available through Ticketmaster for $20.
Boise State’s last live student theater event ended in March 2020 when a production of “The Drag” was cut short due to COVID-19.
Students and faculty are ready to make their return to the Morrison Center stage and regain the experience they’ve been lacking for the last year and a half.
“It’s just one of those things that [is] just very special to those of us who do it,” said senior theatre arts major Talia Martinez.
Nick Garcia, senior theater arts major and the director of “The River Bride,” was offered this opportunity as his senior project and thinks this show is the perfect way to ease back into the live aspect of theater.
“I think it’s a nice way to introduce Boise State to doing theater again because it is a smaller show, so it’s not a big, extravagant thing,” Garcia said.
Although in-person theater will be back, the department is putting precautions into place to help ensure the safety of the actors and the audience.
Boise State’s Director of University Theatre, Darrin Puffal-Purdy, explains how the department is ensuring that risk factors are kept to a minimum.
“We have sort of a hybrid acrylic mask so you can at least see the face,” Puffal-Purdy said. “The audience needs to be masked, [and] audience numbers have been limited.”
Besides being the first live performance on campus since early 2020, “The River Bride” is also Boise State’s first production composed entirely of a cast of color.
Martinez is particularly excited to be a part of “The River Bride” and appreciates how special of an opportunity it is for students of color.
“It’s rarer for actors of color to get to be given really, really good, beautiful roles that are meant for them,” Martinez said.
Puffal-Purdy also expressed, from an educator’s perspective, the importance of planning a season that promotes diversity.
“We always want to craft it in some kind of narrative … and give space for underrepresented voices,” Puffal-Purdy said.
The department is always trying to push boundaries and create special performances. This includes introducing new aspects of theater that many students have never experienced before.
In November, students will take on “Oedipus Tremendous,” an adaptation of the Greek classic, using masks to their advantage and performing in a style similar to traditional Greek theatre.
“We have decided to commit to doing a full Greek tragedy in Greek masks,” Puffal-Purdy said.
Other shows students can look forward to include “The Terrible Infants,” a filmed production of “A Christmas Carol,” and “The Spongebob Musical.”
For more information on the 2021-2022 production season, visit Boise State’s Theatre, Film and Creative Writing webpage.
