With just four characters and 70 minutes of showtime, the student-directed musical Ordinary Days sought to convince the audience to rethink their appreciation of ordinary lives and experiences.
“From a more emotional standpoint I think Ordinary Days stands out because it is about relationships,” said cast member Ashton Taylor in an email. “The characters are people you know, or maybe even you.”
Ordinary Days premiered on Saturday at Seven in One Books. Set in New York City, the musical follows four main characters: Claire, Jason, Warren, and Deb.
Taylor, junior theatre education major from Las Cruces, New Mexico, portrayed Jason, the boyfriend of Claire.
According to the Department of Theatre’s website: “With hope and soaring songs, Ordinary Days shows how the smallest acts can sometimes have the most profound effects on your life.”
“It’s a story about fighting for what matters to you,” Taylor wrote. “It’s a story about finding your place in the world.”
Zola Feasel, senior musical theatre major from Ranch, Colorado, also said the beauty in Ordinary Days lies within its simplicity. Feasel portrayed Claire.
“It does not need dance numbers, crazy dramatic moments or a grand set to have a profound impact on the audience and the actors involved in the performance,” Feasel wrote in an email. “This sounds cliche; however, this show is so beautiful because it highlights the life, joy, sadness and connection in the ‘ordinary.’”
The writer’s notes of Adam Gwon, playwriter, composer and lyricist for Ordinary Days, can be found on Concord Theatricals’ website.
In Gwon’s notes, he said he intended for the musical to tell a story that encourages the audience’s engagement. It was designed to pull viewers into the search for human connection.
“Ordinary Days tells the stories of four people struggling to connect,” Gwon wrote. “It’s made up of pieces that, like its characters, reveal themselves to be part of a much bigger story than we might have first imagined.”
The plot follows Jason and Claire as they face relationship issues and have just moved in together. Simultaneously, Warren pursues his artistic dreams and Deb, a grad student, loses a prized possession.
“Jason and Claire never actually meet Deb and Warren, yet their lives are forever impacted by their actions,” Feasel wrote. “They live in a city of millions of people and yet the four keep crossing paths.”
Even though the pairs do not meet, their actions continuously affect each other. The plot’s repeated crossover between storylines is what calls on the audience to look deeper into the simplicity of daily life, Feasel said.
Taylor and Feasel said they loved and appreciated the opportunity as a whole.
“It has been such a joy to work on a show that forces us to open our eyes to the beauty of the most ordinary things in our lives,” Feasel wrote.
The student director of Ordinary Days was Collin Mitten, junior theatre major from Katy. Feasel said the student-directed aspect of the show went smoothly and was a positive experience all around – the cast and crew were able to balance professionalism and enjoyment.
The student-direct aspect has allowed the cast and production teams to connect in new ways.
“There are moments when we’ve broken down with laughter and then will explore new moments as peers while we still maintain a deep respect for our student director, Collin,” Feasel wrote. “It’s been a lovely process.”
