BYU Theatre’s Former and Current Artistic Directors Stephanie Breinholt and Dennis Wright Share the Process of Theatre Season Creation
For audience members, this fall’s new lineup of theatre productions is just beginning, but for BYU Theatre’s artistic directors Stephanie Breinholt and Dennis Wright, preparation for each season starts as early as two years in advance.
Learn more about this coming season, the preparation that went into planning it and the opportunities provided to BYU Theatre students in the Q&A with Breinholt and Wright below.
Q: How long have you been Artistic Director of BYU Theatre?
Breinholt: I was Artistic Director of BYU Theatre for three years, from fall 2021–fall 2024.
Wright: Officially, about a month. I'm excited to contribute to the department in this new role!
Q: What is the process of preparing for a theatre season?
Breinholt: The department Theatre Production Committee meets to discuss the various needs of each program in the department. The committee then brainstorms titles that will meet those needs and provide BYU's audiences with a variety of onstage experiences. We want to provide experiences to develop creativity in the shows with the production teams, performers and crews as well as provide great offerings for the community. The titles we consider can span from classics to contemporary, or even new works written by BYU students or faculty. After the season is selected, directors are chosen and the real work begins. Rights are acquired for each production, marketing is prepared for the season, production teams are formed and off we go!
Wright: Areas of Performance, Design, etc. are all considered and we plan a year to two years in advance. We want to serve the community and provide good entertainment but the season’s always selected with students in mind to provide opportunities for them to learn how to produce theatre.
Q: What excites you most about your work with BYU Theatre?
Breinholt: What excites me still about my work with BYU Theatre is the collaborative creative process. I love working with talented students and faculty on a common artistic goal — this collaboration develops skills that are not only beneficial for the productions, but in so many other life situations. You learn to respect and value the contributions of individuals and how each individual contributes to a whole. We are part of a team, and that builds unity and purpose. It helps me feel closer to Jesus Christ. Creativity is one of the gifts given to us by Christ, and this process can and does bring us all closer through Him. The gospel unifies and our efforts are magnified! It is quite the artistic miracle!
Wright: Giving our theatre students strong and highly supported opportunities as well as bringing excellent theatre to our audiences excites me. We try to put students in as many of the production roles as we can. We'll put design students in costuming, writing, sound, hair and makeup. Students get a fully realized production to build their resume and get experience so that they are prepared when they graduate and enter the industry. That goes for stage management as well — sometimes our directing students act as assistant directors and we have dramaturgy students who work on all of the research involved in preparing a show.
Q: What do you hope students get out of BYU Theatre’s upcoming season? What do audiences have to look forward to?
Breinholt: I hope students have the opportunity to experience new things, whether it be joy in song and dance or a reminder of truths in new ways through the artistic experience. I also hope students are able to see that there is power in the arts and that you can find connection through creativity.
Wright: Audiences can look forward to classic and thought provoking pieces like “The Cherry Orchard” and Shakespeare's “Henry V;” as well as fun, energetic and nostalgic shows like “Crazy for You” and “High School Musical.”
Q: What experiences from your time at BYU prepared you for your role as Artistic Director?
Breinholt: Years of training, collaboration with creatives, directing numerous shows and coaching actors prepared me for my role as artistic director. Through previous collaborations, I was taught a unique understanding of the art form. Each person comes to the art with their own strengths — my strengths include listening to other artists and encouraging them to share their unique voices.
Wright: I’ve had a lot of theatre experience: as an undergrad I was an actor, director and costume technician. As faculty I have been head of the Design & Tech area, Program Director for Theatre Arts Studies and done costume designs for eight BYU Mainstage Theatre productions. I’ve been mentoring students in theatrical design for the last ten years, so I know how to create a theatre season that caters to their needs and supports their education.
Q: What do future theatre students have to look forward to at BYU?
Breinholt: I think future theatre students can look forward to a world of possibilities as we make the move to the anticipated new Arts Building. But no matter where we are, we are finding that there is always a story to be told and there is always room for more voices to tell those stories.
Wright: Future theatre students can look forward to continued dedication from their faculty, excellent shows with strong design and performance opportunities and, of course, the new Arts Building!