The Purpose of Crandall Theatre
Crandall Theatre is a student-led theatre company that is affiliated with Crandall University’s Communication Arts – Theatre Program. While it is geared toward students who are enrolled in said program, all Crandall students are welcome to join. Crandall Theatre exists to support students in the Communications Arts – Theatre Program by giving them a university credit as well as real-world acting, directing, and technical/production experience. Beyond this, Crandall Theatre was created to bring the performing arts back to Crandall University.
The Process
Like many other things, Crandall Theatre was forced into a hiatus at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which unfortunately meant cancelling a production of The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood, planned to debut in the winter of 2020. That hiatus ended as of March 2022, and Crandall Theatre has been able to return to the stage for the first time since 2019’s production of It’s A Wonderful Life: The Radio Play, and this time they’re featuring an original production titled The Glitch in Our Stars.
While The Glitch in Our Stars is not the first original work to have graced the Crandall stage (the group’s first show in 2018, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe was written and directed by Crandall alumna, Emmelia Ohlhauser), this show is Crandall Theatre’s first attempt at an online-based theatre format. The script is 100% original and was written by the Crandall Theatre 2021-2022 production team and led by head writer, Natalie Kloster. The show also includes original music written by the group’s composer, Abby Slipp. The script follows the online world of streaming and video games, which were intentional themes chosen to allow the group to abide by COVID restrictions while also reaching an online audience by live streaming each performance.
Following the theme of online theatre, the director for this 2021-2022 season, Scott R. Mealey, was able to direct the entirety of the show online from his home in Toronto. Scott headed up the production in October and worked with the students to develop, write, and produce The Glitch in Our Stars.
The Show
The Glitch in Our Stars ran for three days from March 25-27, 2022. Due to time constraints, Crandall Theatre was unable to perform The Glitch in Our Stars to its full potential; instead, the group opted for a “staged reading” of the show while featuring various aspects of the traditional theatre experience such as set pieces, props, staged blocking, costumes, and a small live audience.
Thanks to the production team, the director, and help from various University employees, the productions were all successfully livestreamed and each showing was a hit with live audiences and online audiences alike.
The Future
While Crandall Theatre was able to perform a staged reading of their production, the script and design of the show are far from complete! The purpose of the staged readings was to give audiences a taste of what the show will be like when it returns to the stage for Crandall Theatre’s 2022-2023 season. It is the group’s plan to perform two shows next year, one of which will be the final form of The Glitch in Our Stars with a revised script and full costumes. Crandall Theatre is excited to be able to offer performing arts to the students at Crandall University and looks forward to continuing to bring professional theatre productions to the greater Moncton community. Follow Crandall Theatre on social media for updates on future shows!
