POCATELLO — The Idaho State University Theatre Department is happy to announce its next show, “Cendrillon,” which is an opera performance of the classic story “Cinderella.” Unlike many previous plays held at Stephen’s Performing Arts Center, this play will be held in Frazier Hall to accommodate a full orchestra to perform alongside the actors.

Tara Young, chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance and professor of costume design, described the decision to perform at Frazier Hall despite the additional labor of moving the entire set and crew for “Cendrillon.”

“Our patrons love to come to the performing arts center, but we must go to Frazier Hall otherwise we just would not be able to put (the orchestra) anywhere,” she said.

The previous plays the ISU Theatre Department performed this season were “Marisol,” and “The Spitfire Grill.” Following “Cendrillon,” “The Book of Will” will also be performed. Young described the key idea with the play selection for their 2022-23 theater season.

“(The Theatre Department) tries really hard with our play selection to advocate for new ideas and a more global way of looking at things,” she said. “It's hard because the community loves to come to things they know, but it's always important for theater programs to branch out and push those things that people wouldn't necessarily think about or viewpoints that might not be their own. We feel that we are really influential to (the community), and how art and theater can be used in that way like no other art form can.”

Young shared all the aspects that go into making a performance come to life, and one special area is the costume shop. Students learn how to dye and construct costumes to fit the period of the play, bringing a unique aspect of history into making clothing. All of the costumes that have been made since 2004 have been kept in a massive walk-in closet and organized by the period they were created to replicate.

“We employ our students when they take the classes and if they show us that they can understand and excel in that area, then we hire them,” she said. “The basic construction class is learning the process of how to understand costumes, how to appreciate them, and how to implement them into a show. With computers, you can use electronics to speed up the process. With skills like this, it simply takes time to make things beautiful. Art takes time to make. Our stock is invaluable in that we are always needing more things. We always need to build new things, too. Even if I have the perfect costume and the perfect time period, it might not fit the actor that was cast or the concept that we've created for the show,” which is where the costume shop shows its talent.

Constructing costumes is not the only component that goes into making a play perfect, accurate, and beautiful, and students learn every aspect beyond costume design.

“One requirement that (students) have is a small component of lab hours so that they can have a general understanding (of theater fundamentals), including hair styling, makeup, scenic design and lighting, and how they all work collaboratively together,” Young said. “There is an art in how to really collaborate. In theater, we're like a pie. If you take out one of the pieces, someone else has to come in there and do that job.”

Emme Swink, a senior in the theater program, has plans that she and her husband have been working on for the past four and a half years to open a cabaret bar, which will be “a mixture of musical theater and a bar,” as she describes it.

Swink shared how the ISU theater program has helped her with her vision.

“I love our department because all of the students get a little taste of everything, so you get to dabble in costuming, lighting and set design in addition to acting,” she said. “I ended up doing both costuming and acting, and I really loved it. I love being here because the professors love the opportunity for you to double emphasize (different aspects of theater) and they love for you to learn new things. As someone who wants to own and run a business with actors, costumes, lighting and set designers, it's been really lovely to get to know a little bit about everything so that we can work with that. Our building is just an incredible state-of-the-art, and I feel like with our resources here and our faculty here, our students have such a successful placement rate outside of the university. I feel like they really care about our future and set us up for success even after graduation.”

“Marisol,” a play that the ISU Theatre performed in October, is in review for potential participation in the American College Theater Festival. Vanessa Ballam, head of the acting program, shared another achievement that the theater program has recently accomplished.

“We just got a really cool national recognition as a theater program from an organization called University Resident Theatre Association based on our acting program,” she said. “We have students that go and audition for them every year for graduate school. We got a letter saying our program has been chosen to receive an award of excellence this year in Chicago, because our students are going out and not only showing their talents, but also their training and their professionalism.”

Young expressed her gratitude for the community and she would like to encourage more people to experience theater.

“I think we're a specialty program that really invites the community to come and participate in the world,” she said. “There are always four sides to the theater, and the audience is the fourth side. We need and want that audience to participate in the world right along with us.”

“Cendrillon” will be performed at Frazier Hall on Feb. 10-11 and 16-18. For more information about the ISU theater program, visit isu.edu/theatre.