CIU Thespians revisit World War II in “The Moon is Down”

The CIU Thespians are known for putting on great productions that bring glory to God through theatre.  

I am proud to say that I had the privilege of working behind the scenes of their spring play, which was “The Moon is Down” by John Steinbeck. Because the story deals with the personal lives of a group of soldiers in a small mining town during World War II, it was interesting to see how the director and his team conveyed the importance of these rather dark undertones to the audience.  

In the story, which was originally written in 1943 during the height of World War II, a small Norwegian mining town is invaded by a group of German soldiers, which puts the future of the peaceful village in jeopardy. Some of the citizens want to form an alliance and fight back against these invaders, while others are not ready to accept the fact that war is inevitable. As the story unfolds, however, the audience begins to discover that despite the vicious tasks they are asked by their leader to carry out, these “invaders” should not be dehumanized based solely on their actions. They have emotions and consciences just like all other human beings, because they are still created in the image of God.

As a stagehand, I had the opportunity to move props on and off stage with the rest of the crew. I was also cast as an extra soldier for multiple scenes, helping to contribute to the intensity of the war scenes in the production. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed simply listening to the talented actors and actresses jump into their characters during my moments off stage. The acting was top notch, and the chemistry between the cast was excellent. Even the individuals who came in with limited theatre experience did an excellent job stepping into roles for the first (or second) time.

Junior Humanities major Jacob Sark, who played the part of George Corell, a key character in the play, said he enjoyed the sense of community among the cast and the crew, as well as the director’s team.

“Community was highly emphasized, which I appreciated,” Sark said. “I wish I could congratulate everyone for their great acting jobs, but there are simply too many people to mention.”

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