Edgy, Contemporary Studio Show "The Great God Pan" Comes to USU Campus

The Great God Pan by American playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist Amy Herzog opens Friday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m., in the Black Box Theatre of the Chase Fine Arts Center on the Utah State University campus. There will be additional 7:30 p.m. showings February 3 and 7-10. There is also a 2 p.m. matinee February 3.

Jamie currently has the perfect life in Brooklyn—a beautiful girlfriend, a flourishing journalism career and parents who live just far enough away. His seemingly perfect life implodes when childhood trauma is brought to light and throws him into a tailspin.

The unraveling begins when Jamie goes to coffee with Jamie’s childhood friend, Frank, who tells them that he’s bringing charges of sexual abuse against his father. This leads Jamie on a journey of trying to remember his own past, and part of this includes a blurry memory of family issues that forced him to live with Frank’s family temporarily.

“From the beginning of the play to the end, you see Jamie’s memory start to sharpen bit by bit as he’s remembering events from the past,” Jason Spelbring, director of the show and assistant professor in the Caine College of the Arts, said. “There’s quick and contemporary language from Amy Herzog and audiences will really connect with the tempo of the play. It will feel like you’re eavesdropping on the cast’s lives.”

Spelbring said the alley seating for The Great God Pan will help audiences feel like they’re a part of the show. There will be cast members on either side of you while still allowing audience members to have a soft focus on the reactions of other audience members across the aisle.

“Every cast member is on stage for the entire performance,” Spelbring said. “This allows challenges for the actors to focus on active listening and being still.”

Spelbring said preparing for this show feels like one of his acting classes with a play at the end of it. The actors will be wearing their own clothes and pushing around Black Box furniture as they change positions for each scene.

“This really takes our class outside the walls of the classroom and allows our students to utilize their skills in a professional setting, which I love,” Spelbring said.

The play tackles how individuals deal with memory and challenges the actors to think about how they themselves deal with memory. You’ll find out just how much Jamie remembers when you see the show for yourself.

The Great God Pan contains adult content, language and themes. Children under 6 years of age, including babes in arms, will not be admitted. Children 6 and older should attend at parent’s discretion. Tickets for The Great God Pan are $13 adults, $10 seniors/youth, $8 USU faculty/staff and free for USU students with ID. For more information or tickets, contact the CCA Box Office in room L101 of the Chase Fine Arts Center on USU’s campus, call 435-797-8022, or go online to cca.usu.edu.

Writer and contact: Whitney Schulte, whitney.schulte@usu.edu, 435-797-9203