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| Scroll file photo |
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| A cast consisting of students, teachers and local members perform in Savior of the World. The musical ran last semester to sold-out crowds and was re-run for one week this semester. |
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Four final shows of the musical drama, Savior of the World were performed this week in the Snow Drama Theatre. After performing 18 sold-out shows last semester, the musical returned for these final performances.
This time, however, the performances were designed for community residents who weren’t able to attend last year.
Roger Merrill, director of the musical drama and professor in the Theater Department, said they encouraged community involvement and focused ticket sales in the community.
The chorus is made up of members from nearby LDS stakes. Members of the choir came from Rexburg, St. Anthony and Rigby to participate.
Working with the community was great, Merrill said. “They brought with them a spirit of contribution and willingness.”
Many community members attended the performances and thought the addition of locals to the play added a lot to it.
Gary Jones from Ashton, Idaho, said he liked having a variety of ages in the play.
“Adding the community members expanded the play,” Jones said. “It made the performance much more real.” Jones, who taught in Israel, said the play brought back memories of the places he’d been.
Although the chorus is different, it is essentially the same core cast from last semester, Merrill said. Only a few of the characters have changed.
Since many main characters performed last semester, only four rehearsals were needed to prepare instead of the three months of rehearsals it took last semester.
“It came together very quickly,” said Merrill. “We’d learned from before what worked. Last semester’s performances were stressful because it was our first run. We were trying to get everything right. But now we’re able to focus on the message more.”
The musical depicts both Jesus Christ’s birth and resurrection, but because it’s around Easter, Merrill said the focus of the audience tends to be more on the resurrection. “I felt much closer to the Savior afterwards,” said Maureen Jones, a resident of Ashton, Idaho. “I loved the singing and the music was awesome.”
The BYU-Idaho production was used to test whether the show could be performed on a smaller scale by LDS wards and stakes.
“We wanted to bring this sort of church themed production of this caliber to those who live outside the Wasatch Front,” Merrill said.
