By Whitney Sorensen
Fans of Lois Lowry’s The Giver will enjoy seeing it come to life in Cedar Hills as part of the third annual Creekside Theatre Fest at Heritage Park. This adaptation by Eric Coble stays true to the novel and raises thought-provoking questions sure to spark post-show discussion between parents and kids.
Heritage Park is easy to find, but I recommend using a road other than 100 E in Pleasant Grove, which later becomes N Canyon Road—current road construction and a detour make that pathway a bumpy ride. Parking in the main lot is also limited, but nearby Cedar Ridge Elementary School has plenty of open spots. From there, wander over to the pavilion for your free dinner, courtesy of Pioneer High School for the Performing Arts. The barbeque includes a hot dog, chips, and a drink.
Because the play shows at a park, be sure to bring lawn chairs and blankets so you can stay cozy and comfortable during the 90-minute show. Despite the hot weather recently, it got surprisingly chilly later in the evening.
While you set up your spot, you’ll have time to take in the simple set, designed by Josh Hiatt and Giselle Gremmert. The park’s small amphitheater serves as the main stage, with white sheets forming a back wall. Against that backdrop rests a perfectly balanced set of two doors on the far sides and two small staircases that lead to a central platform in the back center. The set is devoid of color to reflect the “sameness” in the community of The Giver. Director Gabe Spencer and the cast have collaborated on costumes, and they use muted gray and brown fabrics to suck any sense of vividness from the onstage world.
The action begins with main character Jonas (Barak Davis), a soon-to-be 12-year-old boy, interacting with his family and friends in a mildly futuristic dystopian community. Their main topic of discussion? The upcoming year’s-end ceremony where children move from one stage of childhood to the next according to the community’s strict rules. Jonas expresses nervousness about the Ceremony of 12 where he will receive his permanent job assignment, mainly because he doesn’t feel a strong pull toward any of the traditional careers. His friends Asher (Mason Shanks) and Fiona (Kaelynn Bybee) have similar apprehension, his parents (Bradley Southard and Alice Johnson) do their best to prepare him for the unexpected, and his little sister, Lily (Ella Brammer), acts a little jealous at the extra attention he receives before this important rite of passage.
At the Ceremony of 12, Jonas is surprised when he name is not called at the appropriate time. Ultimately, he learns he has been selected for a unique and rare role in the community: he will be the Receiver of Memory. During his first day at his new responsibility, he meets the Giver (Chris Hults), an older man who laughs and cries and expresses more emotion than anyone Jonas has ever encountered. The Giver shares his memories of a time before the community with Jonas, and together the two begin to see the shortcomings of their society, the most notable of which is the total lack of personal choice.
The play, like the novel that inspired it, is very exposition and dialogue heavy, so children younger than 10 may have a hard time staying focused. The outdoor atmosphere of the venue also comes with a few unavoidable distractions, such as occasional overhead aircraft, and there were definitely moments when I wanted the actors to project their lines louder. However, Spencer has also done a good job pacing the play and keeping the scenes moving quickly from one to the next, and Davis and Hults in particular play off each other well and form a solid emotional center for the cerebral storyline.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the use of light and sound design at an outdoor theatrical production. The light design by Spencer and assistant director Jordan Long mainly uses colored lights beneath the platform to punctuate the different emotions Jonas experiences for the first time with the Giver. The sound design by Long and Jeanine Loukota (who also serves as stage manager) is more functional than interpretive, adding sounds such as babies crying and airplanes flying, and at times overpowered the dialogue onstage. Cheers to the tech crew of Joleah Long, Ethan Mikels, and Katie Rowley for keeping the show running smoothly.
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If you want a family-friendly night out and a chance to enjoy the summer sunshine, make your way to The Giver at Creekside Theatre Fest in Cedar Hills. This story is part of the new canon of American children’s literature, and your elementary or junior high student is sure to read it in the next few years (if he or she hasn’t already). Coming to this performance gives you a chance to experience it together and discuss the complex questions it presents in its simple story. I first encountered this story more than 20 years ago, and this new presentation raised plenty of new thoughts in me about how priceless a society that allows choice, even with painful consequences, truly is and what part I play in preserving that ability to choose.
Creekside Theatre Fest presents The Giver by Eric Coble, based on the novel by Lois Lowry
Heritage Park, 4425 W Cedar Hills Drive, Cedar Hills UT 84062
June 15-29 8:00 PM (Dinner at 7:00 PM)
Tickets: $11-15
Contact: jordan.michael.long@gmail.com
Creekside Theatre Fest Facebook Page
The Giver Facebook Event
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