Every year, the SCU Theatre and Dance Department oversees the student-led production called Charisma! The show is advertised by the department as "an exploration of faith through all the arts." The cast and content of the show varies drastically from year to year. Essentially, though, it is a collection of vignettes in varying forms of word, song and dance, both created and chosen specifically by the cast of people who have come together to effectively piece together a deeply personal show. Charisma! 2011 just completed its three-show run this past weekend – and received very positive reviews.
Let me preface the remainder of this post by explaining that smaller productions like Charisma! rarely get the publicity that bigger, more recognizable shows might – which is not saying much, given the fact that a lot of the time, we over in the Theatre and Dance Department struggle to fill all of our seats. And perhaps I’m a bit biased, what with my personal involvement – I have to admit that I did operate the lightboard for Charisma! this year – but I cannot help but think about what a pity that is, and how many people yearly miss out on something so wonderfully poignant.
Because Charisma! is an annual production, and because I am a junior, it was my third time seeing the show – each one wildly different from the rest. Though it is apparently a commentary on faith and spiritually, Charisma! is areligious and aims to speak to all audiences. Most often, it follows the turbulent journey we all go through as relates to our personal beliefs. As a member of the technical team, I watched as the cast of Charisma! 2011 finalized their show. Upon my first viewing, I felt struck by the show - it touched me in a way previous versions of the production had not. I wracked my brain to realize why.
This year, the cast adopted “belief” as its theme and “I believe” as its slogan – which I found to be essential to its positive reception. Bear with me as I get a bit deep. The content of Charisma! productions has always been wrought with heavy content and sensitive subjects; it has also always been carried by an undercurrent of distant hope. The moral always seems to be, “One day – someday – we can find a way to get through our trials and tribulations.” This year’s production, though, seemed to be overabundant with hope. That was the reason for its success. The moral of this show seemed to be “Here, now, in this moment – with the help of our family, our friends, our very beliefs – we are working through our hardships.” Instead of focusing on the issues, this cast focused on the solutions; instead of focusing on the negative circumstances and the possibility of happiness one day, they focused on finding happiness in the journey.
All photos are my own; the first two I shot; the rest are for me courtesy of Eileen Jao.
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