By Olivia Crocker
Copy Editor
Night of Musical Theatre (NoMT) is an annual event at Pacific Lutheran University, but offers a unique experience each year. NoMT is a musical revue, meaning it contains a collection of songs from various musicals united by a single theme.
The theme varies from year to year and this year it is subtitled “I Gotta Story.” The focus is on the practice of storytelling and its benefits to both the performer and audience member. It includes selections from Chicago, Hamilton, Sister Act and even Shrek.
This year’s director Matthew Kusche, a senior percussion performance major, chose the theme and said it has to do with interconnectedness.
“The story of the actor, their character, the show they are in, the stories of all the people behind the scenes, the story of the audience…[NoMT] is about that interconnectedness,” he said.
Who are those people on stage and behind the scenes? Kusche mentioned the unique makeup of the PLU arts departments.
“It’s a PLU phenomenon; everyone [in our cast] is involved with theatre, but not necessarily studying,” Kusche said.
NoMT is an entirely student run production, with approximately 75 students involved on and off the stage. They come from a diverse background as Kusche said, including musical theater majors.
One of these majors is Jessica Furnstahl, a junior transfer student who is acting in many numbers in the show. She encouraged anyone who can to come see the show as its themes of storytelling and interconnectedness are a good introduction to other kinds of theater.
“For me, why I love musical theatre so much is because it revolves around story. In our world today, technology puts a barrier between us. With live performers, we get that human connection we crave,” Furnstahl said.
Kusche likewise encouraged students to attend, regardless of their experiences with theatre, or lack thereof.
“It is important for people to engage in the practice of storytelling; actively engaging in listening and telling stories is an important skill even outside of theater,” said Kusche.
