Senior crew member Rachel Mattson said the Q&A went very well for both the cast and crew of “The Amish Project” as well as the audiences that attended each performance.

“It went a lot better than I expected, there were people who had really amazing questions that we’re thrown back by,” Mattson said. “It went really really well which is really good because that’s what we were hoping for and it was super beneficial, so it worked out a lot better than we all expected.”

According to theater director Jodi Hatzenbeller, the purpose of the discussion was to give the audience the opportunity to ask questions about the process of making it.

“We wanted to help the audience debrief after such a heavy topic but we also wanted to give them a chance to ask questions about the creative process of bringing things to life because often times they see the end results but don’t know the steps that we take to get there,” Hatzenbeller said.

According to sophomore cast member Cole Kanne, hearing the different perspectives on the play from the cast and crew was fascinating.

“I actually did enjoy doing the Q&A quite a bit because it’s very interesting to learn the actors’ perspective on their own characters and how they portrayed them through the story and I like sharing that information. I thought it was very fun,” Kanne said.

Sophomore cast member Lilly Strathman said after having a deep and powerful show it was good having the chance for everyone to be able to discuss with each other.

“I think it’s a fun time, it’s fun to listen to what everyone has to say and to hear people’s perspectives and to see their reactions and hear their reaction is really fun,” Strathman said. “It’s also very good to have that moment after such an intense show to be able to just breathe a little and just talk it out.”

Hatzenbeller said the “The Amish Project” Q&A has had strong questions and answers throughout the three performances the theater program has put on.

“It’s gone really well. We’ve had very thoughtful questions and insightful answers and I think it’s given a chance for the cast and audience to bond a little bit over the shared experience,” Hatzenbeller said.

According to Kanne, the purpose was for the audience to get an insight on the making and thoughts from the cast and crew.

“This ending little questionnaire is for the audience to get a little more perspective on the whole thing and the process of making it and the actors state while making it, and it’s just important and was needed,” Kanne said.