For their final performance, the Snowy Range Theater is producing “Happy Days,” written by Samuel Beckett and directed by Shea King.
This smaller show is more abstract than the other productions. Its goal is to remind the audience of their own experiences from the past few years.
“To give a meaningful experience is very important to the crew and me,” It’s a risk [for the audience] to see if that is worth it if you’re open to that kind of experience,” King said.
Shea King, a theater director outside of Laramie, was set with two plays to direct; “Murderers” and “Happy Days.” Both in only ten days at the same time.
Despite the challenge, King was up for it.
“Happy Days,” in particular, was a challenge thanks to its original writer, Samuel Beckett.
Beckett is well-known for his challenging, surreal, and absurdist plays.
“Happy Days” centers around a woman stuck in a mound of sand for the show’s duration, and Beckett had a very distinct vision for this show.
The worlds he created had their own rules that the audience needed to accept and follow, or else the play would lose its meaning.
“Once you accept the rules of the play, the play becomes clear,” King said.
For “Happy Days,” the team’s goal was to focus on the elements that make it unique in hopes that it’ll resonate with the audience.
The initial idea was to use the play to reflect the feelings of isolation that came with the Coronavirus pandemic. When the verdict came in, King wanted to allow the performers to keep that in mind when acting.
The goal wasn’t to change Beckett’s work but to guide the actors to reflect another aspect of reality into their performances.
This is very in line with King’s philosophy regarding directing.
His goal in directing is to facilitate an environment for the actors to perform their truth.
“My role is to prepare you to [perform] it because I won’t be there to be able to show it to [the actors],” said King.
