University of Utah Department of Theatre alumni Connor Nelis Johnson (BFA '21) and Harrison Lind (BFA' 20) will premiere a new play next week in Brooklyn, NY. "The Wreck of Queen Thomasina," is written by Johnson himself and directed by Alexandra Harbold, assistant professor in the U's Actor Training program. It will be presented as part of "Marooned!," a series of short plays set on desert islands, produced in tandem with spit&vigor, a Brooklyn-based theatre company.
"The most exciting part was finding out the show had been selected – the most difficult part was ten minutes later, realizing how much work I had to do," Johnson remembered. "That said, even the most difficult moments of putting the show together have been deeply rewarding. It helps that I have a great team around me, they make everything feel possible."
"The industry is something I still have yet to understand in any meaningful way. Which, I suppose, is why this show is happening. Because what I do know is how to make theatre."
In addition to their work on "Marooned!," Johnson and Lind have started Footpath Theatre Company. "A main goal of ours is to make [Footpath Theatre Company] a locus point for U Theater grads in New York to collaborate and create work," Johnson said.
Not only is it exciting to follow these alums as their work expands into other localities, but also rewarding to see the relationships formed at the U continuing to thrive in professional spheres.
"I knew theatre was a hard industry to break into but I didn’t realize what that meant until I was in New York and I asked myself ‘what next’ and didn’t have an answer," Johnson said. "It’s not even a question of ‘Will I get this role?’, it’s a question of ‘How do I even find an audition?’ The industry is something I still have yet to understand in any meaningful way. Which, I suppose, is why this show is happening. Because what I do know is how to make theatre."
For more information on spit&vigor's "Marooned!," visit https://www.spitnvigor.com/marooned