Discovering New Opportunities at DPAC
Blog By: Ella Cohen
Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the opening night of The Book of Mormon as a DPAC performing arts ambassador. Before the show, I had the wonderful opportunity to shadow Samantha Yancey, the Senior Director of Events & Business Operations. This was one of my favorite shadowing experiences that I have had as an ambassador, because I am very interested in the management side of theatre, so it was exciting for me to see someone pursuing my interests at a professional level. Most of my experience at the high school level is in stage management, but it was super cool to find out that there are other opportunities for management careers in theatre and get an inside look into what Samantha’s job looks like. One of her main tasks at the end of each show’s run is to financially settle the shows, which she showed me how to do using a test show on the software DPAC uses to organize their schedule and finances. We also took a quick walk around DPAC to check on the food and beverage team, President’s Club, and watch all of the people streaming in to make sure that everything was going smoothly. My experience shadowing Samantha was valuable to me because it furthered my interest in my passions in theatre and gave me reassurance that there are many paths to success, and many careers that I never would have thought about before.
As for the show itself, I didn’t know much about it going in besides the fact that it is a satire about Mormons written by the creators of South Park. I ended up having a great time, and laughed so hard. At times, it felt like you couldn’t stop laughing because every line would be a new joke to keep you on your toes. Every cast member delivered their jokes perfectly, even when it would be the third or fourth time a specific joke came up, they still made each one even funnier than the last. The music was also incredible, it fit well into the quirky story of 2 Mormon missionaries travelling across the world to Uganda to spread their religion, only to encounter many trials along the way that will test their friendship and faith. My favorite songs were “Turn It Off,” a humorous tap number, and “Joseph Smith American Moses,” the villagers’ recreation of the not-quite-truthful story of the origins of the Mormon church. I thought that the ensemble was a standout in this show, the Mormons never failed to make you laugh with their antics, and the villagers had incredible characters and really built the world we were watching onstage. Another stand out for me was Keke Nesbitt, who played Nabulungi, a girl from the village. Her voice was phenomenal and her interactions with the elders were hilarious and heart-warming, and I thought she did a particularly good job navigating the intense topics of the show. Overall, I had an incredible time at The Book of Mormon, and I would recommend it to anyone with a good sense of humor. Thank you DPAC for giving me this experience!
