School of Performance students team up to produce play about love, loss, and the concept of time
Constellations, a play by Nick Payne, is a two-person exploration of free will, quantum physics, and the infinite possibility for heartbreak or hope. This piece is being presented in collaboration with Precipice Productions (external link) , a theatre company made up of School of Performance students who strive to “create work that they wished to see in the world.”
Constellations features acting students Ben Yoganathan and Jaelynn Brooks. Photo by Liam Mosher.
The production involves many Performance current students and alumni. Notably, it is co-directed by third year actor Steven (郝邦宇) Hao and third year Production + Design student Nazerah Carlisle, with production and stage management by third year Production + Design student Olivia Seward.
Steven discusses some of the challenges of bringing this production together: "I feel like it's impossible to talk about theatre nowadays without dragging COVID into it, so that's definitely been the most challenging aspect: Navigating how to create live theatre during a time of uncertainty for theatre artists, reconnecting with the parts of us that desire touch and to stay motivated through it all."
Despite these challenges, Steven offers encouraging advice to their fellow creators:
"If you have an idea, turn that idea into reality, don't worry about how perfect it needs to be because it never will be perfect. We're still young; we're meant to suck, fail and learn by doing it. Lift the pressure off of yourself and remind yourself of the pleasure of why you went into this in the first place." -Steven (郝邦宇) Hao
Constellations is being presented April 8th-10th.
This spellbinding, romantic journey begins with a simple encounter between a man and a woman. But what happens next defies the boundaries of the world we think we know—delving into the infinite possibilities of their relationship and raising questions about the difference between choice and destiny.
Precipice Productions is offering pay-what-you-can tickets, with proceeds going to Art with Impact (external link) , to send art supplies and tools for creation to Indigenous kids on the fly-in reserve of Shamattawa in Manitoba, a community in need this past year.
Constellations is being funded in part by a grant through the RCDS (external link) .