For the first time in the history of the department, MU Theatre will stream a play online directed by a current Miami University student as part of their 2020 Season. Blood Sisters, Based on a true story and written by Robin Rice, travels with three Dominican nuns as they deface a nuclear missile silo and face a judge for sentencing. The play was safely rehearsed and performed on the Gates-Abegglen  stage according to Miami University’s Healthy Together plan and recorded for online streaming. 

For her directorial debut, senior theatre major Delaney McLaughlin wanted to select a play that would reflect our current times. With the ongoing protests for police reform in America, McLaughlin thought the “themes of protest, mercy and justice in the play could offer perspective and comfort.” While performing without an audience is new for the students in the cast and crew of the show, the Chair of the Department of Theatre Julia Guichard is also “excited for the potential that streaming online can offer to reach new audiences.” Traditionally, MU Theatre’s shows are limited to those able to attend the live shows on the MIami Campus in Oxford, Ohio. 

Blood Sisters is entirely student driven including the cast, crew, and marketing. Students in a theatre practicum learn to work backstage and gain important skills such as lighting design, sound design, and stage management. Students taking the marketing section identify and reach out to new audiences and interview the cast and crew. This immersive theatre experience gives them real world skills and credits traditionally reserved for graduate-level theatre students and professionals. 

Despite streaming online, the Department of Theatre wanted some things to feel like the traditional theatre experience. You can see the thriving artists in Blood Sisters for one week only.

Blood Sisters will premiere on September 11 at 7:30 p.m. on the College of Creative Arts Youtube channel and remain available through September 18, 2020.