‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ show brings holiday spirit to Logan community
For the lovers of Christmas classics, the Utah State University Theater Department put on ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ at the Caine Lyric Theatre.
Graduate student Michael Francis was the set designer for the production. He wanted to be involved with ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ since he first saw the department’s schedule because he knew he enjoyed the story.
“It is centered on the way that this individual, George Bailey, has helped the town of Bedford Falls grow as a community,” Francis said. “Specifically, they run a Home and Loan, which helps people be able to purchase or build their own homes.”
According to Francis, the set design team wanted to recreate the beauty of the houses in the film version.
“It’s such a beloved film,” Francis said. “It’s hard to recreate things in a way that will make people happy when they see it.”
Despite the challenges, Francis said they successfully created a set that brought the same feelings as the film.
“We’re using the physical houses as a vehicle for — as a way to help the audience feel the sense of community,” Francis said. “This beautiful Christmas village that we get to see in this design of the show is a representation of the strength of that community.”
Lydia Semler, professional practice professor of costume design, said she joined the show as the costume designer because she loved the film.
“It is my favorite Christmas movie,” Semler said. “This musical — I really had to be a part of it.”
According to Semler, designing the costumes for such a large cast was challenging. The time period of the show changes multiple times, and each character gets a different costume to reflect that change.
“We have well over 200 different looks for all of the actors,” Semler said. “Anything I threw at them — they were just so great.”
Semler said she wanted to stay true to the film because she knew the audience loved it as much as she did.
“I wanted to evoke the feeling of the black and white movie, but the colorized version,” Semler said. “Just that really old-timey Christmas feeling.”
According to Semler, the Christmas feeling evoked from the show comes from not only the set and the design, but also the story, which centers around the relationships between people and how meaningful that can be.
“It’s about the struggle for this guy to really understand his place in the world,” Semler said. “To really understand how much he means to other people.”
Mia Gatherum, a junior in the BFA acting program, played Mary Hatch in the musical. She said she really enjoyed playing the character because she was able to learn from it.
“I think that a wonderful attribute of hers is being so selfless,” Gatherum said. “She’s willing to reach out and work with people to be the best versions of themselves that they can be.”
According to Gatherum, the community aspect both on and offstage was her favorite part of the show.
“I’ve loved learning about the sort of community of Bedford Falls and how much everyone really looks out for each other and building that relationship with the cast,” Gatherum said.
Niko Barlow, a first-year acting student, played Joe and Mr. Barryman. He agreed the cast was able to foster the same community as the characters in the show.
“The show has a very nice Christmas atmosphere to it,” Barlow said. “I enjoy the vibes. It’s a fun show to be in.”
Barlow said the show reminded the audience of the positive impact Christmas could have on family relationships.
“The story of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ is all about accepting that you don’t need a lot,” Barlow said. “You just need people who make you happy, and I think that is a very key part of Christmas itself.”
According to Barlow, seeing the show at the theatre is a different experience than watching the film.
“Going and watching a production is a much more personal experience because you’re seeing people do this in a live scenario,” Barlow said. “Each show might be done the same, but they’ll never be the exact same.”
Gatherum said she got into acting from watching productions at the Utah Shakespeare Festival when she was eight. Since then, she’s always enjoyed the theater.
“The beauty of theater is that it can make people feel, experience and go along the journey with us,” Gatherum said. “You are witnessing things and feeling emotions and having that deep human connection.”
According to Francis, theatre aids the community in a way that couldn’t be replaced by anything else. Although it doesn’t bring a lot of monetary value to the area, he said it brings joy.
“Sometimes making money is less important than making people and making people better,” Francis said. “That’s where the importance of theater and Logan is, and I think that’s something that we’ve benefited from for years.”
To see what the theatre department has lined up for spring 2024, visit cca.usu.edu/theatre/.
“For those struggling during the Christmas season, know that even when you’re at your lowest, you still mean something to somebody,” Semler said.