Venue View: University of Sioux Falls
By Alecia Juelfs
Asst. Professor of Theatre/Program Dir.
University of Sioux Falls
Have you ever stood at the edge of the ocean or the foot of a mountain and felt opposing emotions simultaneously – perhaps finite yet refreshed, small yet invincible, terrified yet brave? If so, you can likely relate to the wide range of feelings performers often experience as they make their first entrance onstage.
University of Sioux Falls students perform Love’s Labour’s Lost in fall 2022.
The University of Sioux Falls (USF) Theatre Department invites all current students to audition for the productions in our mainstage season. USF’s motto is “Culture for Service,” and one of the best ways our theatre department lives out our motto is by welcoming students into a safe space to be courageous, empathetic and creative.
We celebrate the whole person, so we fully recognize that talents come in various forms and encourage students to embrace every aspect of themselves. At USF, an exercise science major can play the king in Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost right alongside a student studying theatre. We believe the growth that occurs from performing onstage prepares students for the world in various ways, many of which they may not recognize until years after graduation.
Though learning is always happening in the Jeschke Fine Arts Center – whether in vocal or instrumental music, theatre, media studies or visual art – we are in a particularly busy season as we prepare for our upcoming mainstage musical, Once Upon a Mattress. This humorous adaptation of the classic fairytale of the “Princess and the Pea” is staged with a few unexpected plot twists, high energy dance numbers and playful music.
It’s a show that both the young and young at heart can enjoy. Students utilize various spaces in the building to prepare – music rehearsals happen in the choir room, choreography is taught on the stage in Meredith Auditorium and blocking is explored in Jones, the black-box theater on campus. Energy is buzzing throughout the building as anticipation rises for opening night.
At auditions, I was reminded of how brave students must be to openly declare their hope in something they may or may not ever experience. When students write down the role they are auditioning for, they publicly share a deep desire in their heart. Then, they openly allow a panel of professionals to judge them. What vulnerably this requires!
It is also one of the reasons I love working with college students – what other time in life are you saturated with invitations to openly share these meaningful moments with a community of peers that both support and challenge you? I am inspired by our students’ natural ability to positively build community – I cannot recall any portion of the group audition that didn’t end in students clapping, cheering or encouraging their peers.
When the cast of Once Upon a Mattress takes their final bows on the Meredith Auditorium stage, it is my hope they feel an immense sense of joy, pride and gratitude. I will remind them to recall how they felt at auditions – likely the opposite of what they’ll feel at the end of the run – to reflect on the full transformation they’ve had in just a few months.
The amount of talent our building has seen for more than 50 years must be incredible. The good news is you can be part of the history of our building, too! Come see Once Upon a Mattress April 19–21, at 7 p.m., or April 22, at 4 p.m., to experience the talent and joy that fills this place.
At USF, we can’t always get our students to the ocean or to the foot of a mountain, but we can give them a spot on our stage so they can feel deeply and celebrate the entirety of who they are created to be.