“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” Ends Run with Sold-Out Crowd

MVNU’s theater department finished its run of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” to a sold-out crowd on Nov. 9. Director Serra Barrett was impressed by the turnout to the shows.

“Turnout was great. We had great crowds and even sold out the last night,” said Barrett.

The show ran Friday Nov. 2, Saturday Nov. 3, Thursday Nov. 8 and Friday Nov. 9. The last night being the start of MVNU homecoming performed to a sold-out crowd.

Barret said it was important to pick the right show this year.

“We wanted something that was going to draw interest and would appeal to a large audience,” she said.

The play “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” is based upon the book of the same name by C.S Lewis and has underlying Christian messages.

Carolyn Ferguson, a sophomore intercultural studies and Spanish major, loves the story behind the play. She played the role of the White Stag.

“I love getting to know the story deeper within the context of Christianity and the world as we know it,” said Ferguson.

Casting for the play happened in the beginning of September. Barrett was impressed by the results.

“(Casting) was intense,” she said. “We had a lot of talented freshmen and sophomores. Ryan Long has spent three to four years building the talent. It’s an incredible cast. Everyone is who they are meant to be.”

The show had a 25-member cast.

Hannah Radke, a junior communications major, was excited about the cast for her third performance at MVNU. She played the role of the Centaur.

“You normally don’t have people from different years and majors coming together,” said Radke. “We are serious about it, but it’s also so much fun.”

Barret was pleased with the final product.

“The highlight was seeing it all come together,” she said. “There’s always this moment where, as the director, you aren’t sure if all the pieces will fall into place. But they did in a big way. I’m thrilled. The cast and crew worked really hard, and it showed”

Molly Scheich, a junior psychology major, loved the process in her first performance in MVNU drama. Scheich played the role of the Unicorn.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with the other actors and actresses. I’ve enjoyed watching us coming together as a cast and learning to embody our characters,” said Scheich.

The theater program is changing at MVNU following the announcement of the cut of the theater major and minor at the start of the school year, possibly making this the last year for performances.

“We just don’t know,” said Barrett. “It may be a club. We have a lot of assets like sets and costumes we can use. My hope is alumni continue to be involved to continue theater at MVNU. It’s very important to continue shows at a Christian university. You can’t separate arts from liberal arts.” Barret will be directing the musical “Freaky Friday” in the spring.