Everything must come to an end.
This is the realistic truth that Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell aimed to hit in their musical “Ride the Cyclone.”
Colorado Mesa University’s (CMU) Department of Theatre Arts just ended its run of “Ride the Cyclone,” the third Theatre department production of the year in the brand new Asteria Theatre.
“This show has been such an incredible experience for me,” said senior musical theatre major Mina Langness. “Everyone in the whole team […] have been so collaborative and amazing to work with. It seems like a passion project from all sides. I am so lucky to have this as my last performing experience at CMU.”
Her sentiments were echoed by junior musical theatre student Chayce Adams, who joined the department as a transfer student last fall.
“Going into rehearsals, I expected everyone to tackle the creation of this show strictly and professionally (which I think our audiences would agree was a tremendous success),” said Adams. “But what I didn’t expect was how deeply passionate every single person involved in this production of ‘Ride the Cyclone’ would be. Literally everyone who touched this show cared so deeply about its subject matter that we rarely had dry eyes behind the stage by the end of our runs.”
“Ride the Cyclone” was the first show that the Department of Theatre Arts has staged in Asteria since “Amadeus” in October, which means that the majority of the cast hadn’t performed in the space yet.
“The Asteria was a dream come true to work in,” said former CMU student and Mesa OutLoud performer Kaeden Ottinger. “The space feels both vast and intimate, creating a performance atmosphere that any performer would want to experience.”
Ottinger is a regular performer at CMU and has a spot in Mesa OutLoud (MOL), CMU’s student acapella group. MOL performs regularly for campus events such as the groundbreaking and grand opening for Asteria, as well as the opening of the downtown CMU store.
While he has been a part of MOL for the last few years, “Mischa Bachinski” was Ottinger’s first major role in a CMU show.
“My favorite thing about the rehearsal process was the sense of fun and creative freedom we had with developing our characters and their chemistry,” said Ottinger. “I would say the biggest thing about taking a role like Mischa is being present. It’s easier to make strong choices on stage, and strong choices make a character’s character clear.”
CMU’s Department of Theatre Arts still has a few performances slated for the year. “The 39 Steps” runs in the Asteria Theatre from April 24 to 26. It will be followed by senior capstone performances and the department’s semesterly one act festival.
