With winter upon us, students may be looking for some fun indoor entertainment options. Luckily for us, MacEwan University’s theatre season has got our backs! For the first time in their 30-year history, MacEwan Theatre will be performing their rendition of Pippin.

Pippin, a musical which will be performed by students in MacEwan’s Theatre Arts program, is set to open on Thursday, Nov. 21, with a preview set the night before on Nov. 20. Pippen’s director, Marianne Copithorne, spoke to the griff about the upcoming performance. 

Discussing the plot, Copithorne said, “One of the major aspects of Pippen is a young man searching for meaning in his life and one of the major themes is ‘How far are you willing to go to become extraordinary?’ I think sometimes that when we are young, we push those limits and sometimes we go too far to find out what makes us great, and we tend to realize ‘I don’t have to do all those things, I can just be myself.'”

The story of Pippin can be seen as relatable for many students attending MacEwan, and various other post-secondary institutes. The urge of trying to be great is a reason many of us go to school, but it is also easy to lose ourselves along the way. Seeing Pippin may well teach you something about yourself you have not yet found out.  

The theatre department has been working nonstop this semester to perfect their adaptation. “We began production at about week five of the semester, around Oct. 7,” Copithorne said after a musical scene analysis class she had just finished instructing. The class was attended by many of the actors and actresses that will be performing in the show. “All of them work extremely hard perfecting their craft so that they can all give their best performance possible.”  

Copithorne got her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Alberta (U of A) and worked as an actress for over 20 years. She has a long list of roles to her name. She then returned to the U of A for her Masters in Directing in 2001. Copithorn admits that she has never done a show quite like this one before. “I have never directed anything like Pippin and I am new to the story, but I am very excited to direct it.”

Pippin will be a fun experience for children and adults alike. The preview for the show starts at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 20, and tickets are $10 each. Regular shows begin the following night and run until Nov. 30, and tickets are $25 each. On Tuesday, Nov. 26, tickets are 2 for 1 for all MacEwan staff and faculty members.

So, if you’re bored or stressed out for finals, come on down and witness the brilliance that is MacEwan’s theatre season.