MCC Overbrook Theater to Premiere Everyman: Pandemic Edition Online on Dec. 4

MCC Theater Graphic

The Muskegon Community College Center for Theater will premiere Everyman: Pandemic Edition, its first-ever video production, on Friday, Dec. 4, at 6 p.m.

With its contemporary twist on a time-honored classic, the 35-minute performance will be unveiled Friday evening on the College’s website at www.muskegoncc.edu/everyman, as well as premiered live on MCC’s Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn social media platforms.

“I wanted to give our students the opportunity to perform a play this semester,” recounted MCC faculty member Sheila Kulp Wahamaki, who directed Everyman.  “My heart was set on presenting two productions but once we knew that we weren’t going to be able to have a live audience, filming one production became our choice.”

So, she began vetting shorter plays that would not tax viewers who, because of the pandemic, are spending longer hours on computers and smartphones.

Everyman goes back to the 15th century,” explained Wahamaki. “It’s a morality play with allegorical characters. The overall message is very relevant for us today. Our design choice of making it the ‘Pandemic Edition’ and using face masks with symbolic representation hopefully will add to the audience’s enjoyment.”

In the play, God decides that Everyman has gotten out of control and it’s time for him to die. So, he sends Death to Everyman, who then asks Death if he can take someone with him because he doesn’t want to go by himself. When Death approves, Everyman begins his quest for a companion. His journey ends with a lesson for all of us.

The all-MCC student cast includes Luke Hanes as Messenger, Amaya Fisher as Everyman, Jessica Jackson as God, Stan Shank as Death, Jacob Westerhof as Fellowship, Najee Coleman as Cousin, Evan Sloan as Kindred, Luke Lewis as Riches, Thomas Hammersley as Beauty, Ashley Poling as Strength, Keegan Colcleasure as Discretion, Melanie Lamrock as Five Senses, Tiffany Bartlett as Knowledge, Ian Robinson as Confession, and Annemarie Santos as Good Deeds.

Susan Eyler designed the costumes, while Eric Taylor designed and edited the video. Wahamaki praised the work of both.

“We were ready to film this on the Overbrook Theater stage when the campus went to Phase 2 two weeks ago and we had to change our plans,” she noted. “This has been a unique experience for all of us. It is a gift given to you by 15 MCC students who have shared their talent, time, and passion to create this production in hopes that you will watch and enjoy it.”

For more information, contact Sheila Wahamaki at sheila.wahamaki@muskegoncc.edu