For actors and producers, a play or musical can often mean more than just performing on stage.
For Annie Sanders, Chase Mobley and Savannah Mack, two actors and an assistant stage manager, the chance to work on “The Perfect Arrangement” was a chance for growth and an opportunity to share important stories with their audience.
The show centers around two lavender marriages, heterosexual marriages meant to shield queer individuals from discrimination, in the early 1950s. The State Department is attempting to hunt down security risks inside the government, and it puts the characters’ way of life at risk.
Two more showings of the play are scheduled, Monday and Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in Gordon Wilson Hall. Tickets cost $5 for students and $16 for everyone else.
For Sanders, a senior musical theater major, her motivation came from the fact that this show focuses so heavily on queer issues.
“I really wanted this role,” Sanders said. “I’m a queer person, and telling queer stories is really important.”
Mobley, a senior film production major, had never been in a show at WKU before this one.
“I’m just excited to show my family,” he said. “My sister is a theater major at NKU (Northern Kentucky University), I’m excited to see how she feels about it.”
The process of getting the show ready was interrupted by the snowstorm, so five weeks of rehearsals and planning were cut to four.
The actors and manager said fewer rehearsals were the biggest challenge in making this production happen.
Being a part of a production like this is also a chance for personal growth.
“It’s just the confidence in myself,” Mobley said. “I didn’t think I was going to be here, and then here we are.”
Sanders agreed and added that getting a big role like this boosts her confidence to land roles after graduation as well.
For Mack, The Perfect Arrangement was the first show she’s been on the crew for in college.
“I’ve learned a lot about how professional shows work; it’s been so insightful,” she said.
For people interested in the show, Sanders said to be ready for anything.
“It’s a lot of fun,” she said. “But be prepared for it to tug your heartstrings a little bit.”
