Since the first days of February, members of the Brownell Talbot Theater Department have been preparing for the Spring Play, “I Never Saw Another Butterfly.” Throughout the audition process, individuals who auditioned were asked to act out scenes and work with their peers. These skills then translated to the stage when over 50 BT students participated to the performance. One of the greatest ways BT students participated in the show was by making butterflies. 10,000 butterflies, which were made out of yarn, paper, and other craft materials, were hung and taped to the walls and ceilings in the Swanson Auditorium.

The plot of “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” made sure to pull on the heart strings of the audience, but the overall message was one that needed to be heard. In the play, Raja Englanderova, played by Ingrid Nelson, ’25, is a little girl living in Prague during the beginning of World War ll. It just so happens to be that Raja, and her whole family, are Jews. Through beautifully portrayed autobiographical narration, viewers get to see Raja’s life play out on stage, and get to meet all the people Raja loved in her life. However, that also means that Raja must say goodbye to those people. Throughout the story, Raja never once loses strength, and she survives to tell the story of those she loved.

When asked about the process leading up to the production, Theater Director Jennifer Morgan became filled with excitement, as she explained that the students involved with the performance committed significant time and energy into connecting with their character and truly filling the role they were assigned: “I think my favorite part of the process in our journey to opening night was creating the connection between the students and the story.” Mrs. Morgan went on to explain the efforts the Theater Department made to emerge the members of the production into Jewish tradition and culture: “Our evening at a synagogue and experiencing a Shabbat dinner was an insightful experience for all of who attended. Special thanks to the Cohen family who arranged this special evening for us.” These experiences, which were provided to the BT theater members through the generosity of the Cohen Family, allowed members of the cast and crew to connect with the story on an even deeper level and understand the history of the Jewish religion. While this selection was not the style of show some members of the cast and crew may have preferred to do, they came to love the story by the end of the process. Since the topic of this performance was so heavy, it allowed the members of the production to grow as actors and learn how to illuminate a serious topic through theater.

In the future, many of the members of the “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” Cast and Crew plan on participating in theater: “I plan on being highly involved in the Brownell Talbot theatre in my last two years at BT. Also hopefully I will be able to be a part of the tech crew in the 2024-2025 year since I will have graduated but will only be taking a few college classes in Omaha” (Ally Newman, ’24). Ally’s experiences in the BT Theater Department have encouraged them to pursue theater past their years at BT: I plan on doing technical theatre as a career. I am going to do an apprenticeship program at Omaha Community Playhouse senior year, where I will take some college level classes and work backstage for OCP for 2 years to get an associates degree that I will then transfer to a 4 year college.” In fact, members of the BT Theater Program are so committed to growing as performers and technical specialists that they participate in shows outside of BT. One of these individuals, Guy Shipley, ’24, is heavily involved with theater at the Chanticleer Theatre in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Shipley has appeared in four plays at the Chanticleer Theatre, and most recently  played Dan in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” These theater experiences have allowed Shipley to work with adults, thus allowing him to learn skills that are specifically taught to paid professionals in the theater industry.

If members of the BT Community would like to pursue theater in the future, Shipley recommends that students audition for productions at local theaters: “If anyone is looking for a fun activity to do for a couple months, I would highly recommend auditioning for a show at a community theatre near you. It’s scary, but the experiences you get and relationships you make far outweigh any modicum of stage fright.”

The 2022 Fall Musical is projected to be announced at the end of May 2022, so stay tuned to hear what production will be featured at BT this fall!