A person waits in the audience expecting to watch a show, then Death pulls them from the crowd to embark on a journey that questions one’s purpose in life. Elon University is bringing Branden Jacob Jenkins’ play “Everybody” to Roberts Studio as its fall production.
The play is a modern adaptation of the medieval morality play “Everyman” where actors have the opportunity to put their own interpretation on the character, Everybody.
Adjunct professor of performing arts at Elon University Mya Brown said she was not initially the director of the show but was brought in after responsibilities in the performing arts department had been shifted. Though the vision for the play was from the previous director Kirby Wahl, Brown said it was not a challenge for her to join this team.
“Everyone was really open to me bringing my own ideas to the process, but I didn't want to have anyone scrap what they already had been working on, the ideas they had already been working from,” Brown said. “I found a way to wrap my mind around what they had already been developing.”
Traditionally, there are five actors who switch between playing the main characters Everybody and Somebody. She said Wahl casted six.
Graham Boggess, a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting, is one of the six. He said the acting program has taught him to better understand each character’s purpose by breaking down shows into their most basic elements. This is how he creates a universal character unique to him.
“Who is Everybody in the world through me, and who would I be in this situation, given these circumstances, and how would I be trying to affect the people around me and get what I want?” Boggess said.
Actors do not know when they will play Everybody or Somebody prior to each show. Boggess said that, unlike traditional plays, this requires a lot more memorization. During rehearsals, he said he carries a manual voice recorder so that he can play back his cue lines.
He said he prefers this to recording on his phone because there are fewer distractions, and he can physically touch the record button.
“It's a way to sort of unplug from social media and just be able to be present and working,” Boggess said.
Concord Theatricals said Jacob-Jenkins’ play focuses on helping the audience understand their own individuality despite actors playing such broad roles.
Brown said she loved how their adaptation allows the audience to see themselves in the cast’s diverse interpretations.
“BJJ is doing a really great job of showing how literally every person, regardless of how they identify, is going to go through this journey of life and death,” Brown said.
Senior Makenzie Pridgen, also part of Elon’s BFA acting program, plays a different kind of role — Death.
“The one word we've been using a lot for this character is overworked,” Pridgen said. “This character has been put on so so many missions by God.”
Pridgen said one of those missions is to have Everybody present their life, good and bad, to God. But every night is a different Everybody, and she said that has made it a challenge for her to “keep things fresh” as she embodies this part.
“It forces me to be creative, which is our job as an actor, and really live in the moment and react off of whoever's in that night,” Pridgen said.
Brown said she was also excited to see the final product come together after months of hard work from the entire production team, including Marissa Bishop, Jeff A. R. Jones, Justin A. Miller, Jessica Hightower, Maverick Powell, Kayla Higbee, Lillian Chen, Michael Smith and Julia Sgoupis.
Brown said the play asks the audience if they’ve used their time intentionally, loving both others and themselves.
“We're all gonna die,” Brown said. “So how are you living?”
Though Brown said she wishes audience members could experience all six versions of the show, she said she would recommend people see it at least twice.
“Everybody” will run with evening shows at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2, 3, 5 and 6, and afternoon shows at 2:00 p.m. Oct. 3 and 4 in Roberts Studio Theatre in Scotts Studio. Tickets are available on the Elon Performing Arts website.