The first student-led devised production in the Texas A&M Theatre program will debut March 26 in the Black Box Theater at the Liberal Arts and Arts & Humanities Building.
Set in the 1920s, “Echoes of Justice” follows a fictional theatre troupe as they perform a new work that leads to arrests and public backlash. As a devised production, students built it from the ground up without a prewritten script.
The show will run March 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m.; March 28 at 2 and 8 p.m.; and March 29 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $11.50; $6 for students at the MSC Box Office. The performance is intended for individuals 18 or older.
Christian Kahl, the show’s creator and director, is a senior in the Theatre program. He said the story centers around asking what happens when theatre itself becomes dangerous in the context of queer censorship. The play features a courtroom trial constructed from real U.S. censorship cases.
“This show addresses how to talk about something without polarizing it,” he said. “So even though people may have these feelings on one side, how can we meet in the middle? And how can we have a conversation about something, where we otherwise wouldn’t be having this conversation?”
The inspiration for the play stemmed from a dramaturgy class led by Mike Poblete, Ph.D., instructional assistant professor, which examines different play genres. Kahl focused on creating a piece of docu-theatre.
“Docu-theatre is a documentary-style story presented with theatre,” Kahl said. “This play is also devised, so we are creating it on our own, and we have inspiration from whatever we want. But the end goal is a docu-theatre piece. Devising is the process that gets us there.”
Kahl was also influenced by the Broadway production “Indecent,” about an acting troupe that faces criticism for the content of a play. In “Echoes of Justice,” a courtroom trial follows a public backlash.
“For the trial, we did heavy research into that,” Kahl said. “We pulled around 10 different Supreme Court censorship cases, and we looked at the language. There are things that are quoted, there are things that are adapted and there are things that are dramatized. But it’s all rooted in how those actual hearings took place.”
The play incorporates moments where the actors relate the story to their personal lives, and these revelations add to the docu-theatre approach, Kahl said.
“So even though it is a story, it’s not fiction,” he said. “This is nonfiction. There’s a line in the show that goes, ‘This is not one moment in history. It’s many, and they’re all intersecting right here, right now. And that’s the story that we’re sharing with you all today.’”
The cast includes Callie Bekker, a junior majoring in both Theatre and Communication; Kate Bertagnoli, a junior Theatre student; Kylie Brittain, a junior Performance and Visual Studies student; Shaun Evans, a junior General Studies student; Samantha (Sami) Gregory, Psychology; Melina Hickel, Business; Louis Hlavinka, Physics; and Tyler Martinka, a junior Theatre student. The production is also led by student designers who are working on the set, costumes and screen projections.
Kahl said he hopes the audience is able to embrace the emotional aspects of the show and walk away with lasting thoughts about the performance.
“I want people to be vulnerable enough, in and after the show, to keep thinking about it,” he said. “I think that’s why art is important and I think that’s why it gets lost so easily. But work like this thrives when audiences can think about it. We’re not trying to tell you what to think or anything like that, but it’s all about critical thought and being aware of what’s happening.”
Creative/Production Team:
Lauren Ortega, senior Theatre student: assistant director/movement coach
Jane Briggs, junior Performance and Visual Studies student: stage manager
Brayden Zimmerman, junior Performance and Visual Studies student: assistant stage manager
Leticia Schenkel, senior Philosophy student: dramaturg
Lluvia Avina, senior Performance and Visual Studies student: lighting designer
Gabe White, junior Engineer student: scenic designer
Jais George, second-year Master of Science in Visualization student: projections designer
Diego Gonzales, senior Visualization student: projections designer
Tyler Martinka, junior Theatre student: costume designer
Jackson Martinka, senior Theatre student: sound designer
Olivia Mo, senior Bioenvironmental Sciences student: music composer
Kate Bertagnoli, junior Theatre student: props supervisor
