By Katrina DeKarver
Short Attention Span Theatre, or SAST, at Utah Valley University in Orem is one hundred percent student based. The show is built up of five ten-minute plays all written by UVU students: Family Secrets by Katrina DeKarver, Split by Josh Needles, Generation Gap by BJ Warner, The Golem by Tyler Fox, and Immortals Anonymous by Andi Tonnies. Each was cast, assistant directed, stage managed, and so forth by UVU students. This year Lisa Hall Hagen was unable to advise so Page Pertuka gladly stepped in this year.
It is important to arrive early to UVU for this show. The separated parking and building construction can cause confusion. Once you make it inside the building there are ushers to direct you to the theatre, so no worries on that front. Seating is limited to 50, giving each audience member an up-close and personal view (in the best way possible). Due to the audience and stage lighting, the theatre can get a bit warm by the end, some might prefer taking water in with them. Those with smaller children or bladders should be sure they can last the show’s full run as the actors use the same entrance/exit at the audience making it near impossible to leave mid-show.
Family Secrets is a great topper to start off the show. Liam (Tyler Botill) has just received his acceptance letters: the college of his dreams and his mother’s choice. But before he can deal with his own problems, Ava (Amanda Wilson) sneaks in through the window. She is back to hide from her abusive father. When his mother, Mrs. Cortescue, (Alanna Cottam) enters the scene, accusations fly. This short sets the stage well for the rest of the night.
Split’s co-stars Carlee Baldwin as Amaya and Tanner Forbes as Foster together have amazing chemistry. This show opens with Amaya and Foster impatiently watching a pregnancy test. The couple has been struggling with conception for a while now. Unfortunately, this test also reveals a negative. At the end of her rope, Amaya insists on a divorce while Foster fights to keep their imperfect family together.
In Generation Gap Francis’ (Kenneth Beatty) world is falling apart. His girlfriend Tiffany (Colie Lemon) is threatening to break up with him, but he can’t leave to smooth things over until he safely gets his “frisky, old” grandparents (Megan Olsen and Jacob Donker) to bed. The nightly bed routine is swapped from the classic adult and child in this hilarious piece.
The Golem takes on challenges with the use of a puppet next to Man (David Brown). The puppeteers (Sage Peacock and Logan Sumsion) create life-like movements for the Golem puppet. As Man mysteriously appears in a cave with no exit, he is forced to face the Golem that is inside. Their stories parallel and create a paternal relationship. Through this, both the Golem and Man try to sort their inner demons.
Immortals Anonymous is a roller coaster of emotions. Jack (Nickolas Hofheins) impatiently awaits the arrival of Ida (Gentrie Sadler) outside of an I.A. (Immortals Anonymous) meeting. They have been sitting outside their chapter meetings for four years. Ida has her reasons for not going in. Today, Jack decides to ask her to go in with him. Hofheins and Sadler build off the other’s energy beautifully. A fantastic finale of hope to round out the night.
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Overall this year’s SAST production is thick with emotional themes. These little pieces aren’t perfect, they are still shows in progress; even so, one wouldn’t suspect the writers to be so young and inexperienced. With a runtime of about an hour, there isn’t a reason to miss seeing this show during its short run. Some themes are heavy and may not resonate as well with younger audiences but any age can enjoy the work. I’m already excited for what SAST 2019 will look like.
A special shout out to Tyler Scott Mitchell who is stage manager for all five of the scripts.
Utah Valley University Arts presents Short Attention Span Theatre
Utah Valley University, Room GT-627 at UVU, 800 W University Pkwy, Orem, UT 84058
April 5-7, 7:00, 9:00 PM
Tickets: $3
Contact: 801-863-6820
UVU Art’s Facebook Page
SAST Facebook Event
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