What they’re putting out there is not necessarily easy to discuss, but the talkback sessions have shown that the play resonates with a wide audience. In South Africa, Reilly says, “in every city, we were told why the play was relevant to them and why it was important that we were performing it in their city.”
Jaye agrees, noting the play “has really become a conversation with the audiences we’re taking it to.” The response has been humbling, she adds. “It has been bigger and brighter and more enthusiastic than we ever dreamed. It has really become something bigger than us — it has become a ‘service.’ ”
Providing that “service” has also provided the student actors with an experience they never anticipated. Before they performed in South Africa last summer, they never considered a tour, let alone an international one. But this summer, the company will not only return to South Africa in June, but also perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August. When Dan Carter, director of the School of Theatre, brought up the possibility of a tour, Reilly says, “we knew it was way too good an opportunity to pass up. But we also realized that if we wanted it to happen, we needed to take the reins and make it happen.”
Each cast member has a role beyond performing — in addition to managing director and marketing coordinator, there are coordinators for education programs, development, events and production. The students have organized several fundraising performances, including the U.S. premiere of the play at State College Area High School.
For Jaye, the experience has taught her anything is possible — if you’re dedicated. “You have to keep up, and you have to get out of your own way. You have to be willing to go at the speed that things are going to take off,” she says. “If one person is dedicated — if I believe in it with all my heart, and dedicate my time, energy and focus to it — then everyone else around me will begin to believe and be dedicated, too. That has been an invaluable lesson.”