Along the walls of Dr. John Newman’s UVU office is a 20-foot mural depicting the history of Theatre throughout the centuries, starting with Greek and Roman mythology and ending with Eastern Asian traditions like Japanese Noh and Kabuki. “I brought these with me from Highland High School after I first started at UVU in 2010,” explains Dr. Newman, the director of the UVU Theatre for Youth and Education Center (TYE Center). “I couldn’t leave them behind. They highlight how theatre has shaped history and culture.”
Dr. Newman might not have as long of a history with theatre, but he has over 25 years of experience with teaching the arts, providing an avenue for young people to learn the core values that theatre can teach — moral lessons, societal commentary, traditions and rituals, to name a few.And this fall, Dr. Newman had the unique opportunity to share his perspectives and expertise with youth across the globe when his play, Whirligig, was picked up by the Wairarapa Youth Theatre, all the way in Masterton, New Zealand. “It’s about as far from Utah as you can get!” laughed Dr. Newman. “I was thrilled to be invited to see their production.”
An accomplished playwright, many of Dr. Newman’s scripts, including Whirligig, are crafted specifically with youth casts in mind. “Normally, a youth program will mount a play that was originally made for adults,” explained Dr. Newman. “You don’t often see published plays that allow the young cast freedom to present it in a new way. I write plays that are accessible to youth actors, that resonate with the issues they deal with, and that function better with the creative freedom that a youth theatre typically offers.”
Dr. Newman’s play, Whirligig, is about redemption and reconciliation. As the main character, Brent, travels across the country building the Whirligigs in honor of the girl he killed while driving drunk, he learns essential lessons on the value of each unique life and how our actions affect others. He wrestles with his own insecurities and perceptions of the world that led him to this moment. An interesting aspect of the play, though, is that the audience never actually sees what these monuments look like. “Seeing the Whirligigs isn’t the important part,” explains Dr. Newman. “What's important is that the audience gets to see how each experience of building these monuments impacts those around Brent, furthers his journey of self-discovery, and inspires people he never meets.”
The cast had a special surprise when Dr. Newman attended the opening night of their production incognito — not a single member of the cast was aware he would be in the audience! “I thought I saw some of the cast do a double-take when they recognized me,” laughed Dr. Newman. “They didn’t expect the playwright to be in the audience until the next performance.”
Along with attending the performances, another highlight of his trip was leading a playwrighting masterclass for the young cast. While the students got to learn directly from the play’s author, Dr. Newman took away his own lessons from the version of his script that the program performed. “Whirligig is meant to be adaptable and versatile,” Dr. Newman explained. “It’s meant for these young actors to experiment with creative choices and artistic expressions. I learn just as much as they do about the play by seeing the different ways they interpret scenes, create the settings, and make the script their own.”
This experience teaching theatre in another country and culture will only help Dr. Newman as he jumps back into teaching after returning home. As a teaching institution, UVU emphasizes that most trips like Dr. Newman’s are done as a way to increase the quality of instruction available to students. Now that Dr. Newman is back at UVU after his brief trip, he hopes that the creative spirit he felt while working with the Wairarapa Youth Theatre will translate to his work with the UVU TYE Center.
Dr. Newman is overseeing the production of New Kid, the latest play presented by the UVU TYE Center this fall, with a cast of UVU Theatre students performing at the UVU Noorda Center for the Performing Arts. After performing at UVU, the production and cast will hit the road, touring at local libraries and schools. Audiences can catch New Kid, a wonderful production about the struggles of learning to connect in a new culture, on October 24 and 25. Tickets are available now, online or at the Blair Family Box Office!
