“Is this real or is this a dream?” a character says at the midpoint of Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins’s surrealist play “Everybody.”
“This is a theater!” another character responds, eloquently summarizing the play’s unique balance of philosophical inquiries, humorous dialogue and meta theatrics.
“Everybody” is certainly unlike any play many have seen — and certainly unlike any play the University of Mississippi Theatre Department has produced.
“Everybody” is a modern adaptation of the 15th-century morality play “Everyman,” one of the oldest productions on record. With a centerpiece monologue concerning social media updates, unsolvable global problems and our constant inundation of information, many audience members — especially college students — will easily relate to the play.
“The show has been one of the most fulfilling and challenging productions I have participated in,” senior theater arts major Cooper Thorpe said. “It is strange and macabre and funny and heartfelt, and I think that’s the only way a play about death can be.”
The theme of death, to which Thorpe alludes, is the main thrust of the 90-minute production, which captures multiple characters’ conflicting perspectives as they approach the afterlife.
The diverse ensemble is mostly credited as “somebodies” in the cast list; their exact roles remain a mystery, as per the instructions of the creative team. The play also includes characters such as God, Love and Death, which indicate the archetypal nature of the show and the universal themes the work seeks to question.
“What would you do if you knew that tomorrow would be your last day on earth?” Dan Stearns, director and assistant professor of acting, said in his director’s statement, “This is our blessing and our curse as humans; it is our tragedy: to be caught between now and eternity, heaven and earth, stranded in this garden with all the other humans, burdened with the knowledge that you can’t take it with you.”
Stearns and his cast and crew hope that audiences will ask similar questions on the topic of fate and mortality as they view the production. The play’s use of atmosphere, complete with stark, minimalist sets and novel stylistic choices, is meant to further immerse the reader into the story.
“This show is special in that the playwright wanted each production to be incredibly unique,” Maci Wadlington, a senior theater arts major and the play’s lighting designer, said. “This gave the creative team so much liberty when it came to what story we wanted to tell with the design elements. My lighting design is meant to immerse the audience so they feel even more connected with the characters.”
“Everybody” will serve as a test for its audience, as the ambitious production juggles many tones, styles and ideas and molds into an undefinable package. Regardless, there will be plenty for viewers to digest after leaving the theater.
“Being involved in ‘Everybody’ has been a unique and rewarding experience, both as a performer and in its exploration of life’s biggest questions,” sophomore theater arts major and performer Matelyn Hill said. “I cannot wait to share it with everybody.”
“Everybody” runs from Friday, Sep. 27 to Sunday, Oct. 13 in Meek Auditorium. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the UM Theatre and Film website.
