By Élise Hanson

The Provo-based theater company An Other Theater Company finds its final home in Salt Lake City in Lightree Studios. An original script by local playwright Jesse Nepivoda, The 54th Step follows Amanda Becker (Siev Unruh), a Utah State Representative who is trying to pass a bill to ban bullying in grade schools. She faces opposition in a conservative house that sees the bill as a pro-LGBTQ statement, and this is the sixth year in which she has tried to get the votes she needs.

The cast is filled with people who are passionate about the material, people who know the truth of the urgency of the bill that Amanda pushes. Every actor is a member of the LGBTQ community, most of them of trans/non-binary identity. In this month of Pride, it is a stirring thing to see intelligent, talented actors take on this important and moving work. Nepivoda’s script is a compelling one, illustrating the fervor of those driving the movement forward and the frustration of the roadblocks in their way. As intently as Amanda drives for protection for children of all kinds, those who oppose her create an almost impossible obstacle.

Director Sammee Jackman writes in their director’s note of the creative force that theater has to drive the world forward, to “share my knowledge with the world, fight against any injustice, and treat everyone the way you want to be treated. Theater can be a powerful tool to achieve all three of these rules of life. We as humans have used theater and performance art to expose the pain we have experienced and call to action our neighbors.” The 54th Step strives to achieve such a call to action, reminding the audience of the need to advocate for those most vulnerable among us.

The performers in this piece carry the weighty material handily, and the honesty behind the powerful emotions is certainly felt. Miles Minshew as the young, fervent intern and Unruh carry the majority of the dialogue, their chemistry apparent through tricky scenes in which Minshew’s more sarcastic levity is balanced out with Unruh’s serious and driven Amanda. The other actors in the piece, Adam Gowers and Madelyn Pettingill, play a couple characters each, Gowers as the State Senate President Hughes and later as a “good old boy” conservative Senator Christensen and Pettingill as Amanda’s estranged husband Mark and then as the compassionate yet conservative Speaker of the House Elizabeth Jensen. These four actors form an electric ensemble that is more than suited to the material.

The 54th Step shares an important message and is an ideal watch for the month of June as we celebrate victories and remind ourselves how much longer we have to go. The play contains strong language, but is suitable for anyone seeking an education.

A review by Front Row Reviewers.
An Other Theater Company presents The 54th Step by Jesse Nepivoda.
Lightree Studios, 740 W 1700 S Suite 9, Salt Lake City UT
June 12, 15-20, 2023 8:30 pm Thursday – Tuesday
Tickets: Sliding Scale $7-$20
An Other Theater Company Facebook Page
An Other Theater Company Instagram

Note from Front Row Reviewers:
We’ve seen theaters come and go and have strived to review their productions with care, concern, courtesy, and delight. An Other Theater Company brought wonderful productions with important/essential messages. We are saddened to see this wonderful theater company have to close. We wish them well and hope to see productions from those involved with AOTC again soon.