Meeting the Director
Camila Yanez has been deeply rooted in the Olivet Nazarene theatre program in her four years here, being involved in several plays at ONU. She started off by doing behind-the-scenes work and later got interested in joining her friends in Shakespearean plays, such as “Romeo and Juliet.” She has now directed her first-ever production, a completely original script for “David: A New Musical”
Inspirations
Yanez has been following in the footsteps of Professor Ashley Sarver, former head of the theatre department at ONU. Yanez said Sarver was a major inspiration saying she was “so welcoming, she made everyone so welcomed no matter their roles and everyone feel seen and welcomed in open arms.”
StageMilk, an acting course teaches how not just not to excel on stage, but also behind the stage. The article said the director has to be the creative leader of the production, and everyone on the crew needs a job.
According to an interview done with ONU News, Sarver said, “As Christians with the gift of story-telling, it is our job to provide quality content that points people to truth and light.”
Creation of David
Yanez always had a clear vision for the show and gave others the freedom they needed. Yanez took notes from Sarver, including making sure every single member of the crew was credited. According to Richard Murphet, authors need to direct their own texts to be artists, and Yanez surely has done that.
Yanez called the entire process difficult, as writing an original script with original songs was a hard task. However, through this, she gives her praise to the writer Joshua Hershberger.
Yanez loved the opportunity she had to work with David and Jonathan, due to their friendship being so integral to the story and she felt it on and off stage with them.
Successes and Struggles
Yanez and her team underwent many struggles and successes throughout the musical-making process. Yanez cited the Bible as the number one resource to reference during the creation of David but found that difficult at times, because making it in the modern world was difficult.
So many people don’t know the exact backstories of the rooted characters beyond the surface-level information. Being able to convey further information was helpful though, due to the originality giving them less limitations than a standard musical.
Yanez called stage manager Marina Prather her biggest help. Prather would stay after shows later than expected to ensure everything went well. Yanez expressed her gratitude, calling Prather a huge emotional support during production.
Yanez remembered learning to be humble. Being overwhelmed with stress was a big challenge but she was always reminded that it was not about herself but sharing who the Lord is.
The evening of November 18, 2023, was filled with emotions as it was the final showing of “David: A New Musical.”
Yanez was grateful for this experience and said how the final song in the production was one of the most memorable for her as she saw tears from the cast, crew and even the audience.
Yanez gave a final sentiment about her cast and crew that she wanted people to remember.
“Every single person involved in this was incredibly important, and this is just beyond the cast. Light and sound and the set makers, everyone was kind and respectful. This is an act of worship for the Lord. My biggest thing is… all of us were just going through a lot and willing to do this.
Camilla Yanez
