On the heels of opening night for the Department of Theatre and Dance’s production of “Bat Boy: The Musical,” the director Susanna Vaughan shares insight on her journey as a performing artist.
Susanna Vaughan is an assistant professor of musical theatre in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the ҹɫƵ. An actor, director, choreographer and musical theatre historian, she teaches courses ranging from acting to musical theatre history in her first year at the University. This spring, she is directing her first University production, “Bat Boy: The Musical,” which opens March 6.
Vaughan’s path to theatre began early. Raised in a household filled with music, Vaughan gravitated toward performance as a child.
“My mom would watch movie musicals with me and take me to the ballet and musical theatre,” she said. “I think she could tell that I was interested in it from a young age, so she kept taking me to these things.”
Though she loved performing, Vaughan described herself as shy. “I was actually quite a shy kid. I felt like I had a lot of feelings and a lot of thoughts to share, but I was always so shy and scared to share them.”
Like many, theatre became the outlet that helped her find both her confidence and a sense of identity.
“I think doing theatre … really helped me develop my confidence and my sense of self and bravery speaking in front of people, but also learning to collaborate on big projects with a lot of different people,” Vaughan said. “It’s just so many life skills that served me well. And when it came time to go to college, I just couldn’t imagine majoring in anything else except theatre.”
Beyond the University itself, Vaughan was drawn to Reno by the opportunity she saw in the city's growing arts community.
“What is the most exciting to me is the potential for growth … in our musical theatre program here, but also in the city of Reno itself,” she said.
Vaughan also looks forward to building relationships beyond campus as well.
“I’m learning more about Reno Little Theater and Good Luck Macbeth and the other community organizations that are here, and so I’m excited to see how I can get involved,” she said.
Inside the classroom, Vaughan emphasizes collaboration and physical storytelling. Vaughan enjoys learning about and teaching theatre techniques.
“In addition to teaching musical theatre performance, I’ve also taught some movement for the actor as well, which is a little different than teaching dance,” Vaughan said.
She first encountered the technique Viewpoints in her undergraduate program and now teaches it to her students. The movement technique focuses on actors’ awareness, spontaneity and collaboration in groups rather than individual performance.
“I observed how much it brought an ensemble of people together and connected us together,” she said.
Over time, she has seen the impact on her students.
“It opened up their bodies, opened up their expression, got them to trust each other more,” Vaughan said, noting that increased trust often leads students to take creative risks in the rehearsal room and eventually on stage.
Her interest in theatre extends beyond performance. Vaughan also believes studying the evolution of the art form provides insight into where it may go next.
“We tend to have cycles and patterns that we can go back and see why things are the way that they are today by examining the past,” she said. “One, it gives us understanding. And two, it allows us to look into the future and maybe guess what might be coming next - here’s where we came from, but here’s where we want to go. And it can help us planand change the shape of how musical theater is developing for the future.”
That balance of tradition and experimentation is reflected in “Bat Boy: The Musical.” Vaughan describes the production as a contemporary rock musical that contrasts with some of the department’s previous productions while still incorporating elements of traditional musical theatre style.
“It is also a comedy, but it’s a dark horror comedy,” she said. “So audiences can expect to laugh. I hope that they’re laughing and also expect to kind of be moved in the heart as well.”
She credited the cast for embracing the show’s bold tone.
“I’ve been so impressed with the bravery and the commitment of the students,” Vaughan said. “These characters are big characters. Some of them are weird, andit’s a different kind of style of acting and singing, and our students are going for it.”
“Bat Boy: The Musical” runs March 6-15 in the Redfield Proscenium Theatre. Reserved seating is available. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for ҹɫƵ faculty and staff, and $5 for ҹɫƵ students. The production contains themes that may not be suitable for all audiences and is recommended for ages 13 and older. For tickets and additional information, visit our production webpage.
