By, Katie Corbitt
Getting into the crowded line in some hallway in Gulick, I was still uncertain as to why we were spending our Wednesday night watching some play I had never even heard of. It was the opening night, and the line went almost around the corner of the hall. I could hardly hear my friends talking over the steady stream of conversations going on all around me.
“Guys, are you sure this is worth it,” I asked, not wanting to waste any more of my night. Then the line moved forward and we approached the “security guards” at the door, and I was instantly able to answer my own question.
If you were to step into the black box theater, you would have immediately been surrounded by the assortment of party lights that encompassed the room. There were stripper poles, ropes, a light-up floor, and essentially the complete ensemble for a nightclub. The cast was in party attire, dancing as though no one was watching. The line through the door died down to merely a trickle, and then came to a complete stop.
Just as I wondered when the show would begin, the music changed, and I watched this morality play, “Everyman,” unfold before me.
“It was strange to put on a sad and dark show,” says Parker Johnson ’19 who played the parts of Sinead and Passion in the play, “but the cast was such a hilarious group of people.” This was different than other plays Parker had been a part of in the past, in that it was a morality play, focusing specifically on the theme of death.
Auditions were at the end of January, and the first rehearsal began January 27th, Parker said. Rehearsal days depended on what part you played in the production, with different cast members coming different days of the week. “I came in for rehearsals every Monday and Friday,” Parker said, as opposed to Alex Hutcherson, who played the lead, Everyman, and had rehearsal every day.
“I really liked how quirky the characters could be,” says Paige Currie, who played Knowledge. “My character was straight up drunk all the time.” Paige says she liked how they performed the play in the black box, immersing everyone in the darkness. It was a completely different experience than Legally Blonde, which Paige was part of in the fall. “The set was badass,” she says.
Directed by Angie Sweigart-Gallagher, “Everyman” played April 5 – 8, and was quickly sold out. Though unconventional, this play on death was a smashing hit.
“It was a great experience with great people,” says Molly Russel, who played Fellowship/Goods/Beauty. “It had a good message and was unusual, which made it interesting. It wasn’t your typical, upbeat play.”
“Everyman” left an unmistakable impression on the audience, each cast member working together to create an experience that was unlike any other St. Lawrence performance. “The initial moment I walked out in full outfit, and everyone’s jaw just dropped, and it was amazing,” says Parker, perfectly describing the audience’s reaction to what was truly an amazing night.