Each year, the UVU Theatre department sponsors the Senior Platform Series. In 2016, Scott Twitchell and his crew will present “Baby with the Bathwater,” a play by Christopher Durang.
The show will be performed Mar. 24-26 in the ExBox Theater and is free, although donations are gladly accepted at the door.
“Baby with the Bathwater” is a satire about a family relationship that needs help. The play begins with new parents, John and Helen, and their new baby, Daisy. Throughout the show, it becomes clear that the couple has little to no knowledge of how to care for their child. As events unfold, the show follows Daisy as he has to face the ongoing difficulties of life while continually confronting his past.
“It’s funny, but there also is this side that is so heartfelt,” said April Thiede, the assistant stage manager. Thiede also said audience members will relate to the content individually or will be able to better understand someone else who has gone through similar circumstances.
The show was picked by Twitchell last summer as he began the production process for the show. He had seen the show in high school and, in rereading the script with friends, he felt it was a great choice for his senior project.
The process continued with auditions in January with the help of Katherine Gaylord, a UVU alumna acting as stage manager for the show. The rest of the production team was pulled from those who were cast in the show.
Twitchell explained that the Platform Series also acts as a class, so every responsibility falls back to him. However, he needed people to help with duties such as stage managing, props and costumes due to the caliber of the piece. Additionally, he explained that as producer for the show, he is responsible for the funding of the production although the Theatre Arts Guild (TAG), the resident theatre club on campus, is also helping to sponsor the performance.
Twitchell explained that he originally hoped that audiences would merely be entertained and leave happy. He continued, “But now, I’ve dived into it and pulled the heart out of the show. It’s more real and relatable. There are moments when you’re going to think it’s your life or you’ll think of someone you know who’s gone through something similar. You’ll get out of it what you put into it, but hopefully there is some catharsis. It’s really touching, it’s sad and it’s going to mean more than I originally thought.”
With themes of identity, parenthood, friendship, and so much more, “Baby with the Bathwater” will be a production that touches the hearts of everyone in attendance.
