Children’s play is being shown to elementary school students

“Still Life with Iris” will be presented to general audiences at the Morgan Theatre in the Chase Fine Arts Center at Utah State University on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday at 2 p.m.

There are only two show times because it is a Theater for Young Audiences, or TYA, play that is first being shown to elementary school students throughout Cache Valley in Utah.

According to Tori Benson, an actress in the play, the first performance started Wednesday morning. The next two will be on Thursday at 9:45 a.m. and on Friday at 11 a.m. The performances are taking place in the Morgan Theatre, and students from several schools are attending each one.

According to Kaitlyn Terry, the stage manager for the play, 650 students attended Wednesday’s performance.

Matt Omasta, who directed the play, said reactions from students have been overwhelmingly positive.

“It was a really great reaction,” Omasta said. “A lot of teachers were really positive about it.”

Rachel Van Kampen, an actress in the play, said though the play was written for children, it is applicable to adults as well.

“I think a question that it specifically addresses is ‘Who am I?’ which is a question I think everybody struggles with,” Van Kampen said. “And I think that’s an important thing about TYA is even though it is for children, there are things that adults can even learn from it.”

“It also asks the question ‘Who has authority and should they?’” Benson said. “I think that that can be really empowering for students and for adults to look at the world that they live in and say ‘Who has the power over my life?’ and ‘Is it me?’ and ‘Should it be?’”

Omasta said whoever wants to know how the play addresses these questions should see it.

Tickets can be purchased at the box office in the arts center or online at arts.usu.edu.