Anna Rinaggio, Campus Carrier asst. arts and living editor

Berry College Theater Company (BCTC) will be staging a production of “Bright Star” this October. The show, a musical set in the mountains of North Carolina, has already been cause for much excitement in the theater department. 

“We looked at a lot of shows last year and “Bright Star” kept coming back again and again because the songs just sent people over the moon,” Peter Friedrich, director of the theater program, said. “Even now, this office staff breaks into song as they’re doing their office work. There’s just a lot of excitement.” 

Rebekah George, a Berry junior minoring in theater, agreed, saying “The songs are definitely iconic. You hear them once and it’s like after that, you’re like ‘no, I know the music.’” 

Inspired by a true story, “Bright Star” details the story of a woman by the name of Alice Murphy during two different points of her life. The show jumps back and forth between 1923 and 1945, giving the audiences glimpses between Alice’s teenage and adult years. Forced to give her baby up at 16, Alice’s longing to find her child is reawakened when she meets Billy Cane, a soldier who has recently returned home from fighting in WWII. “Bright Star” follows Alice’s journey to understand her past and is an enjoyable experience for audiences of every age. 

Even with a tight timeline, the students are excited for the production.

“The students are working hard because we don’t have a lot of time,” said Sara Pecina, director of the dance program. “They’re coming into it with the right attitude and pushing through.”

Pecina is doing the choreography for “Bright Star” and said,

“It’s a great show. It’s fun, but it’s also an intriguing story. I laugh during the show several times, I gasp, I almost cry.” 

When asked what into making the show happen, Friedrich said, 

“A lot of training and awareness about bluegrass music making and melodies—it is advanced, and we’re very lucky to have [director] Scott [Willis] on hand for that.” 

Both Friedrich and George encourage Berry students to audition for theater productions in the future, no matter their major. 

“It doesn’t matter what your major is, you should be here auditioning,” said Friedrich. “We take care to consider brand new people for every show.” 

“You get to learn a lot about yourself too, taking on these roles and being like ‘oh, well I’ve never experienced this before, but I can relate it to this part of my life,’” said George. “It is a [time] commitment, but it’s so rewarding to be in a show, and if you’re scared about auditioning in general, the worst thing you can lose is your time. I personally think that that toss-up is worth it.”

Friedrich and George both agree that theater is good for rounding out character, so even if a student does not want to go into the acting field, it still has benefits for whatever they may do in the future.  

“We’re resolute that theater can make you a better doctor, a better lawyer, a better business person, a better animal scientist, a better nurse,” said Friedrich. 

“The arts–and I would say theater especially–makes you a more empathetic person,” George said. “You get to see different viewpoints you wouldn’t normally see even just by reading a play.”

Being part of a show isn’t just limited to acting on stage, though, and Friedrich noted that there are other ways students can be involved in the opening night buzz in ways that don’t take up as much time. Students also have the opportunity to work in the scene shop or help design costumes—things that are vital in making a show happen. 

The “Bright Star” production also marks the first time the theater company will be implementing a new “free standby policy,” in which students can get free tickets to the show. Students who show up an hour before the show can request a standby ticket. If there are any extra seats, they can go to the show for free. 

“’Bright Star’ is going to sell well—I don’t know how many [standby tickets] we’ll have—but we at least want to make some room for people who don’t have the seven dollars,” said Friedrich.  

“Bright Star” will be showcased October 5-8 at 7 PM and October 9 at 2 PM at the Sisters Theater. You can buy tickets online at berry.edu/onstage. Be sure to follow the theater company on Instagram and Tik Tok at @bctc_theater and to secure your tickets for Bright Star to support your fellow students.