Anyone who has taken a stroll through the Eliza R. Snow Building probably has a passing familiarity with BYU-Idaho’s Theatre Department.

Each semester, the Theatre Department performs multiple plays, ranging from musical theatre to Shakespeare classics to operas.

In order to prepare, the Theatre Department plans these plays well in advance. That process begins with selecting the plays. And, for the department's upcoming show opening tomorrow, that process took nearly a year.

Before the first act

BYUI performance theatre faculty, Trevor Hill, leads a collective group of faculty and staff in selecting plays.

Hill says that the process includes looking for “interesting shows” and asking logistical questions.

“What will be pieces that will be challenging for them and also entertaining to work on?” Hill said. “What will be a good selection of plays that will not only serve our students well on the performance side, on the technical side, as well as what we hope will be fun for campus community and the community at large?”

Hill said that they look for plays that will be “crowd pleasers” and will benefit students as technicians and performers.

Hill pointed out that last fall, the Theatre Department put on “Julius Caesar,” a classic Shakespeare drama. He said that performing Shakespeare gave students useful experience.

“Not only would they be working with verse and heightened language, but there’s stage combat [and] there are other things that [they] are going to be able to develop as artists,” Hill said.

Upcoming shows

Hill also said that students can submit plays they want to work on. Once the department has a list of titles, the faculty reads through the plays and asks questions about what works and what doesn't.

“Through a lot of conversation and whatnot, we start to eliminate certain titles, and then we come up with what we hope will be a winning season,” Hill said.

Hill said that the department has planned all of 2026 and 2027. The Theatre Department will perform "The Lightning Thief" in the spring, followed by "Romeo and Juliet" next fall. In Spring 2027, Hill will direct "The Play That Goes Wrong."

The planning process for each play takes about a year, according to Hill. After the committee decides on a play, they have to reserve the rights from a publishing company. Once they have those rights secured and paid for, the next phase of planning begins.

“There’s a lot of planning that goes into these," Hill said. "Usually it’s eight to nine months of planning prior to casting and then working on the show. A lot of work happens before we even get the show cast.”

Hill said they plan well in advance to figure out details and fill the cast. Auditions for "The Lightning Thief" open March 18, and they are already answering questions about how to put the musical together.

“The Lightning Thief is a more modern musical,” Hill said. “Are we gonna have to have recorded backing-tracks for our music or are we going to have live musicians playing? It’s a bigger show that uses puppetry, so that’s something to think about. When do we build these puppets, who’s going to be the puppeteers?”

As for the audition process, Hill said it starts eight to 10 weeks in advance. In addition, auditions are open to anyone.

“That’s open to anyone on campus, if they are interested,” Hill said. “You don’t have to be a theatre major to try out for a show.”

The Elixir of Love

The next play on BYUI campus is "The Elixir of Love," which opens March 18 and runs until March 28.

"The Elixir of Love" is an 1841 opera that takes place in the Basque region of Spain. The story follows a man named Nemorino, a man who is deeply in love with a wealthy landowner named Adina. She, however, does not return his love. Everything changes when a traveling salesman comes to town with a magical elixir, an elixir of love, that is. Nemorino decides to spend all his money to obtain that elixir, which he hopes will get Adina to fall in love with him.

“In the end, of course, they realize that they’ve always loved each other and cared for each other, they just needed time to grow their love naturally," said Richard J. Clifford, a theatre professor and director of the show.

Clifford said that one major difference between an opera and a musical is that with an opera, the composer has already made several key dramatic choices for the story.

"There’s a lot more interpretation in terms of what the score sounds like and the different tempos," Clifford said. "In a regular play, we might play around with some of the timing and the tone of different things, but the composer has already made really specific decisions about how the story unfolds.”

Leading up to opening night on March 18, Clifford spent time reviewing the story and making additional adjustments as needed.

“My day-to-day usually is about looking at what we’re going to rehearse that day, reviewing my notes in the script,” Clifford said. “Later on in the rehearsal process, it’s going to rehearsal, watching the scenes, taking notes, working things that need to be fixed, analyzing and consulting with the music director and others about how the story is being told and determining how best to focus our storytelling.”

Clifford said that every show has its unique challenges. Clifford said that some people may not be used to the opera format of "The Elixir of Love." He did point out that the performance is in English with English titles, so it should be easy to follow.

Clifford said he wants both the audience and performers to "Have a good experience with an art form that maybe they are not used to.”

Training in the arts

Trevor Hill said that one goal of the Theatre Department is to help students gain experience in the arts.

“The ultimate goal is that we’re training them to be professional artists,” Hill said. “We’re training them to be better actors, to be better technicians, to understand the ins and outs of how a production is produced and hopefully sending them on to more and more shows.”

Riley Sullivan, a junior and theatre major with a performing emphasis, played in “Julius Caesar.” She performed as Casca, one of the conspirators who killed Caesar.

“It was a great experience, everyone was so welcoming and I’ve learned so much in this department,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan said that she really enjoys the theatre program at BYUI.

“I just love acting and I love the arts,” Sullivan said. “I’ve been doing theatre since I was in middle school, but I have really fallen in love with it here at BYUI.”

For Sullivan's performance as Casca in "Julius Caesar," she had to look at the historical background and do a lot of "trial and error" as she practiced.

“Research is a big part of it," Sullivan said. "Since Casca [was] a real person, I’ve researched a lot about what they believe his motives were, and then playing it different ways until I find the right way to play it.”

Sullivan said that part of what she had to do was learn aspects of acting like stage combat and intimacy, or sparking a connection with fellow performers. Another important lesson she learned was patience.

“Having patience is a lesson that I’ve learned, being patient with myself most importantly," Sullivan said. "It takes a lot of trial and error and learning what works best for you. Being able to figure that out has been pretty helpful for me.”

Sullivan plans to audition for "Romeo and Juliet" in the fall and "The Play That Goes Wrong" next spring. She hopes that will lead to her ultimate goal of becoming a professional actress.

It's not just the actors who are necessary to the plays. Theatre technicians work behind the scenes, the people who design sets and props and run the sound and lighting aspects.

Remington Norton, a sophomore and theatre major with a technical emphasis, works as script librarian for the Theatre Department and serves as assistant lighting director for "The Elixir of Love."

“I help a lot with all the shows that go on,” Norton said. “If it’s designing or just helping build stuff, I’m able to help out with any of that.”

Norton's journey to theatre began in high school when he tried out improv. That eventually led him to learning about theatre through design and acting. Norton said he has learned about the range that technicians have, from light and sound to stage managing and directing.

“I’ve also learned more about working with a team and about leadership and being very diverse in many aspects,” Norton said.

Norton also pointed out that when it comes to theatre, there are no unimportant parts.

“The thing with theatre is that everybody has a part to play, no matter how small or how big,” Norton said. “Even an actor who’s on stage for like two minutes, they still have an important part to play in the story. It’s the same thing with design and tech. Even the smallest piece of equipment or light or set or prop has a purpose, and it’s there for a reason.”

"Be a part of the art"

For students behind the scenes of the plays, such as Norton, theatre is important because of what they gain from their experiences.

“I believe that it brings me closer to God and my family,” Norton said. “I’ve had so many more great friendships in theatre than I’ve had anywhere else, and that’s very important to me. [It] is the community and love that I felt being in theatre.”

Hill encouraged all to come to see plays at BYUI. He said that those seeking good theatre in Rexburg can find it on this campus, but that there’s other good theatre happening off campus too. 

“There’s good theatre happening, there’s good storytelling happening,” Hill said. “Bring your friends, bring your roommates, bring your dates.”

Hill hopes the audience can become an active part of the theatre experience.

“Come and watch a good piece of theatre that’s well acted, that’s well directed, that looks beautiful,” Hill said. “Come and be a part of the art.”

"The Elixir of Love" starts March 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Snow Drama Theatre. The show runs March 20-21, 24-25 and 27 at 7:30 p.m. and March 28 at 2:00 p.m.