Unlike plays in the past, “Mutually Assured Destruction” hosts an array of 10 vignettes taking place in 10 different decades. 

During the interest meeting Feb. 28, theater director Jodi Schifsky explained the new format, which includes a 10-story collection of comedic and serious narratives following pairs of siblings. According to Schifsky, this will offer a new opportunity for students to explore different characters and shorter scenes. 

“I’m looking forward to being able to focus on these little scenes and really bring them to life and build tension and conflict and build to a climax,” Schifsky said. “It’ll be a good exercise to really get intimate with the characters instead of having to get the big picture with 20 characters on stage at a time. We’ll have two on stage at a time and will really hold the realistic connections.”

While senior and thespian leader Caroline Butler said she is sad to end her last year with Park’s theater, she thinks a comedic show is a great way to end the year. 

“I’m looking forward to doing a comedic show. Our last show was more of a dramatic one, so I like that we get to switch up what type of shows we do. (I’m) just excited to be doing another show as this is my last show here,” Butler said. “I’m excited, maybe not for this being my last show, but getting to do one last show.”

According to junior Abby Baudhin, she went to the meeting because theater has continuously provided her with a safe space and strong community

“I was at the interest meeting because I love theater. I’ve been doing it since ninth grade at the high school. I’m a thespian,” Bauhdhin said. “I’m just excited to be on stage and perform and be a part of theater because it is such a great community.” 

Gathered in the auditorium, Schifsky said she was thrilled to see a large turnout of students at the meeting. 

“We have a lot of students interested, which is really exciting, because I know this has been a tough year to get students engaged  — we had close to 70 students at our interest meeting,” Schifsky said. “We’re excited to see old faces returning and new faces that will help build our program for years to come.”

Due to the formatting of the show, Schifsky said it will introduce new possibilities and challenges by representing an array of different eras.

“It’s a great chance to give opportunities for people who maybe don’t have as much experience on stage,” Schifsky said. “It’s also set in different eras so it’s going to be a good challenge for the tech to sort of jump backwards in time with each story.” 

To Butler, the sense of togetherness and inclusivity is an integral part of the Park theater program. 

“One thing that’s special about theater is it’s truly a family. It’s truly a tight-knit community, and that’s something that I take very seriously — making sure that people feel welcomed,” Butler said. “There’s no sense of feeling superior to another person. You are all equal.”

“Mutually Assured Destruction” is set to premiere April 29 – May 1. More information can be found on the slptheatre Instagram page.