Southern Utah University’s student theatre company, Second Studio, is back with another edition of their monthly variety show SUU Live. October’s show, titled “SUU Live: Roulette,” will take place in the Black Box Theatre in the Auditorium on Saturday, Oct. 8, at 7:00 p.m. Tickets cost $3.
October’s SUU Live will feature acts not adhering to a particular theme, but instead sets the tone for the evening in the way performance order is determined. Showcase directors Jett Larson and Nash Kenning-Ballesteros will be spinning a wheel to do so, adding a twist to the traditional SUU Live format.
Unlike last month’s hectic event schedule, “Roulette” is not the third Second Studio event in as many weeks, allowing Larson and Kenning-Ballesteros to devote more time to making the event the best it can be.
“It’s been different having breathing room to actually plan and come up with stuff instead of having like three days to do stuff,” said Larson.
Now that Second Studio is further into the semester, Larson and Kenning-Ballesteros have made changes to the format and function of SUU Live. In years past, the shows took place at 10:00 p.m. This year, it has been moved to 7:00 p.m. to improve accessibility.
“Attendance started lingering because people have other things going on, especially as theatre majors,” said Larson. “It’s more ideal to do it at seven because it’s more conventional in terms of how other shows have been.”
The start time is not the only change that has been made to the way SUU Live operates.
“It’s a lot shorter than it used to be, it’s much more student-focused and student-oriented, and our themes are preset ahead of time,” said Kenning-Ballesteros.
Even the audition process has been adjusted. Previously, anybody who auditioned was automatically allowed to perform at the show, but it resulted in the shows lasting several hours. Larson and Kenning-Ballesteros decided to limit the number of acts in each month’s performances.
“We’re not picking the ‘best’ person out of the auditions, but we are picking the acts that will best fit the theme or vision that we have for the show,” said Larson.
For more information about how to get involved with SUU Live, follow Second Studio on Instagram.
Article by: Tessa Cheshire
accent@suunews.net
Photos courtesy of Second Studio
