Showcasing new talent in October, audiences will be introduced to the work of ASU Senior Jay Loebeck in the production of “A Clown’s Guide to the 5 Stages of Grief”, on stage October 22 through October 25 at the Xperimental Theatre on the ASU Campus.
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ALAMOSA — Showcasing new talent in October, audiences will be introduced to the work of ASU Senior Jay Loebeck in the production of “A Clown’s Guide to the 5 Stages of Grief”, part of Loebeck’s Senior Thesis Capstone Project.
As described by Dr. John Taylor, ASU Director of Visual and Performing Arts and Chair of the Theatre Department, “It is an original show, a devised play, meaning it was created through the collaboration of the actors and given shape by the director.
“As director, Jay, a senior theatre major, came up with the original idea. It is a one-act play lasting about an hour. It mixes silliness with pathos, physical humor with serious subject matter. It is also a show done without verbal dialogue. It mixes laughter with tears.”
“It’s a traditional clown show, meaning there is no spoken dialogue. It is multiple stories told about grief through body language and physical humor,” Lobeck said, adding that she came up with the idea because she has always been interested in clowns and circuses, and one day she thought, “Well, what would happen if we put clowns into really difficult, awful situations?” The play evolved from there.
“It is completely different from anything we’ve produced in the past,” Taylor told the Valley Courier.
The cast is made up of five different clowns, each representing one of the five stages of grief. Lobeck says, “Everyone got to feel like they played a significant role in the idea generation and the content. It was really cool seeing everyone’s ideas merge together into one thing.”
Lobeck said that during her time in high school, she was always part of the acting department rather than the crew. “When I came to Adams State, I was like, you know, lighting sounds cool. And I’ve been a lighting designer for the last three years.” Directing this play is a requirement for Lobeck's graduation, serving partially as her senior thesis capstone.
“A Clown’s Guide to the 5 Stages of Grief” opens at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22 in the Xperimental Theatre, and continues nightly through Oct. 25.
General admission tickets are $13 with free admission for Adams State students and faculty. Tickets can be purchased online at theatre.adams.edu or in person at the Theatre Box Office between 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or by calling 719-587-8499.
