Student Blog: ANIMAL FARM and the Rogue and Peasant Aces

Hello, friends! I hope you are well! For this article, I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you, readers, about the show I am performing in this semester (and show you some rehearsal pictures, as shown throughout). I play Moses, Mollie, Minimus, Pilkington, and others in Animal Farm, adapted by Ian Wooldridge, based on the book by George Orwell, and directed by Rebecca Conaway '23! The show, for those who may not know, is an allegory of totalitarianism, set in a farm. The animals, who are fed up with their negligent farmer, overthrow him and take the farm for themselves. The pigs, led by one named Napoleon, take over leading the animals toward a better and brighter future. However, as time passes over the course of the story, the other animals realize that, when they thought their lives were better, they are "just the same as they have always been" (said by Clover). George Orwell's satire on the perils of Stalinism has proved a magnificently long-lived parable and has given the world at least one immortal phrase: "Some are more equal than others." This dramatization remains faithful to the book's plot and intent and retains both its affection for the animals and the insightfulness of its message.

After a two year hiatus due to COVID-19, UET's production of Animal Farm is the returning performance of our Rogue and Peasant Aces, the traveling performance troupe. The aim of the Rogue and Peasant Aces is to provide accessible theatre experiences for individuals who otherwise may not have exposure to the arts. This spring, the Rogue and Peasant Aces are touring to various high schools in the area to perform. UE Theatre's Rogue and Peasant Aces is a part of the Ashoka U Changemaker Program. This leading global designation is part of a dynamic, global network of leading colleges and universities, who set the bar for social innovation and changemaking in higher education. The Rogue and Peasant Aces work in tandem with a ChangeLab class (both of which I am in) in order to effectively schedule and market performances, as well as provide schools with educational materials so that a lesson may be sanctioned in the aftermath of the performance.

Our director, Rebecca Conaway '23, is a theatre studies major here at UET. Upon being asked about how she became involved Rebecca wrote the following: "Directing has always been a passion of mine. I love collaborating with artists and getting to create stories that are impactful to today's society. I received the position of director for Animal Farm by originally applying to direct for either the Rogue and Peasant Aces or one of the productions in UET's black box, the May Studio Theatre. I had to pitch a play that I was interested in directing and from there, I heard that I had been selected to direct the Rogue and Peasant Aces. I was ecstatic! UET has prepared me for this position through the various directing courses I've taken throughout my junior and senior year. Those classes, as well as assistant directing Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare in the fall, have prepared me greatly for undertaking the position of director for this show. You learn a lot about the process of directing, as well as what all goes into producing a show here at UET. Directing Animal Farm has been an absolute pleasure. The process began all the way back in January with tablework and after that we began blocking the show. It's been an interesting and extremely fun process doing this show with a double cast. There are always new discoveries being made about the characters and the story we are telling. It's been an absolute pleasure getting to work with my peers on this show. We begin performances this April! I cannot wait for this show to hit the Evansville community and have an impact on the people who watch it."

It is an absolute pleasure to work with Rebecca! I am constantly amazed by the fact that this show is completely student produced! In addition to Rebecca, we have the talents of design and technology major Liam Arney '26 and performance major William Cooper Sanders '26, our costume and props coordinator and stage manager, respectively. We are also joined by our amazing dramaturg, theatre studies major Josie Madzik '26! When asked about what she felt was important about Animal Farm and her dramaturgy experience, she stated the following: "Animal Farm is a show about the power of propaganda. We live in a world in which social media and algorithms attempt to shape our views of reality, so I think this is an important show to bring to teens and the greater community. Also, this is my first time as head dramaturg in a college context! I signed up to do dramaturgy Animal Farm because Rogue and Peasant Aces is such a unique program here at UET and I really wanted to contribute to it. I am so excited to be working alongside such an amazing cast and crew!"

As previously stated, we are double cast! I have the absolute pleasure of being doubled with the amazing and talented Beverley Buchanan '24, a performance major. She is an absolute delight and I could not have wished for anyone better to share our large host of characters with! Bev and I are joined in the cast by other performance majors: Benjamin Bravard '23 and Drake J. Susuras '24 as Old Major, Boxer, and Young Animal; Mason Norton '26 and Devyn Jolgren '24 as Squealer; Trace Levens '26 and Jeff Parkinson '23 as Napoleon; Quinn McGaugh '26 and Caden Sevier '24 as Snowball and Benjamin; and Elizabeth Dye '26 and Kennedy Olson '26 as Clover. All of these lovely humans are joys to work with and I cannot wait for the beginning of our performance run very soon!

I could not be prouder to be making by collegiate performance debut in this impactful show, surrounded by such amazing people! I am also so very happy to have this opportunity to tell you, readers, about it! I hope that our Rogue and Peasant Aces might inspire strides of action in your communities towards accessibility of the arts! Thank you for reading and until next time, friends!