“Every Person” captivated audiences on Oct. 30. The performance by the ETSU Theatre and Dance Department pulled the audience into the story and by the end of the play, had them questioning their own life and the consequences they might have to face after death.
The inclusive version of this 16th century play was adapted by Bobby Funk, a professor here at ETSU. “Every Person” is a morality play about Every Person, a character called upon by God and taken on a self reflective journey that ends with a choice: one of eternal life or one of suffering.
“It was written and performed to make people think about what will happen when we die,” Funk said. “Since you never know when death will come for you, you should live life well accumulating many good deeds who will go with you on your final journey.”
“Every Person”, originally titled “Everyman”, was adapted by Bobby Funk to be more personal to the audience, despite different backgrounds. The play, originally based off of medieval Roman Catholic beliefs, has been updated to fit everyone’s beliefs and the 21st century culture.
“I did a lot of research into how death is perceived in both religion and folklore in many different cultures, and I tried to bring those beliefs into this story,” Funk said. “I wanted this play to speak to many different people from different belief structures.”
Due to COVID-19 regulations, the entire ETSU Theatre and Dance Department has moved online, including their productions. Although this virtual method of acting is different from a live performance, the cast and crew of “Every Person” managed to pull the audience into the story. There was little room for distractions at home, as the cast quickly captivated the audience and really made them question “what will happen when I die? Will the choices I’ve made be enough to get myself to the afterlife?”
These changes due to COVID-19 have been a learning experience for the theater and dance department. The entire process is online. Therefore, rehearsals, setting, effects and costuming looked very different from past shows. This did not take away from “Every Person” and the cast’s performance, however. If anything, it made it more relatable to the current times — an age of Zoom meetings and limited contact with friends and family. Funk and the cast of “Every Person” took this obstacle as a challenge and learned from it.
“We all learned in this new medium of performance in Zoom,” Funk said. “We also are keeping this art that we love alive in a time of COVID.”
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