Andrew Reneau
This weekend the Theatre Department at Harding University will present “Tuck Everlasting,” a play about a child who stumbles upon an immortal family living near her home.
Ensemble member Jiles Burnham said the ensemble was finished with the show’s structure around four weeks before the show. Since then, he said the focus on set shifted to ironing out small details.
“This last Saturday I was in the Benson for 15 hours,” Burnham said. “We had rehearsal 9-4 p.m., and then I was building set and painting stage until midnight. The atmosphere definitely shifts, especially because we are not trying to learn things anymore, we’re trying to perfect them.”
Burnham said “Tuck Everlasting” is helping him become a better dancer, which is one of his weakest skills.
“Doing a show that is so dance heavy has been really good for me because I feel like as a performer, dance is the weakest aspect of my toolbox, and something I am intentionally trying to improve,” Burnham said.
Production manager Cassie Bennett said she feels the energy as they prepare for this weekend’s show.
“I don’t know that the atmosphere has really changed– as we approach opening night and can see everything coming together, I think there is maybe more of a sense of energy,” Bennett said.
In a reference to John 4:4, Bennett said she hoped their audience would learn how to appreciate the time they have together, and to live in the present.
Senior Aubrey Jones will play Winnie Foster for Harding’s production. She described how the play had been in the works since the spring of 2024.
“They cast four of us back in April, and then they have auditions again right before classes started this semester for the rest of the named roles and the ensemble,” Jones said. “There was also a short choreography audition process for both auditions.”
Jones said working with the show has been a fun mix of support and excitement.
“I especially have gotten to spend a lot of time with the folks playing the Tuck Family, and we’ve gotten to do a lot of rehearsal time together, and I feel like we’ve bonded a lot and had a lot of fun putting the show together,” Jones said.
Tickets for Tuck Everlasting may still be purchased online on Harding’s website. Online tickets cost $20, and tickets bought at the door cost $25. There is no elevator access to balcony seating.
The Theatre Department will put on their next show — “The Taming of the Shrew” — Dec. 5-7 in the Ulrey Performing Arts Center.
