Bridgewater Va.- The Theater at Bridgewater College closed out their production of “Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind” on Sunday, Feb. 23, following performances on Feb. 20, 21 and 22. 

This production, different from any other previously put on at Bridgewater, featured 34 separate plays. Each of the plays ranged from 30 seconds to two minutes long. The goal was to complete all 34 plays in 60 minutes, which they did at all four performances.

As the audience called out a number from 1-34, cast members would pull that number from a clothesline strung behind them and get in position to perform the corresponding play. This format created new and unpredictable performances at each showing, which led some audience members to come back for repeat peformances. 

“I just love the fact that it’s so different. Even when you’ve been coming every night, it’s still so exciting because you know the different individual plays, but you just don’t know how they’re going to play out,” said Cindy Killian, the mother of MaryBeth Killian, a senior cast member.

“I love how unpredictable it is from one moment to the next. You barely get a chance to register what you’ve just seen before they’re shifting gear,” said assistant professor of English Chad Trevitte.

“It’s very crazy because we, as actors, know only a little bit more than the audience does of what’s going to happen. We constantly really have to listen to what number is being called to know what play it is and if or not we’re in it,” said junior cast member Christina Ludwig.

“Sometimes we really have to rush things at the end, so that’s always kind of a challenge whenever you’re expecting more time and you look over and you realize you don’t have it and it’s such an improv maneuver to try to figure out what to get done,” said junior cast member Eli Lenig.

Audience participation was carried a step further, from spontaneous dance parties, to throwing water on a cast member, to giving an audience member a Ring Pop – only to take it away a few plays later. 

“Over the last four days it definitely has evolved a lot. You kind of see what works with the audience and then once you figure out what works on day one you kind of build off of it,” said sophomore cast member Kylee Lorio.

Upon arriving at the theatre, audience members were asked whether or not they were willing to be participants. Those who agreed were given name tags, while those who chose not to participate were given name tags with their name crossed out.  

I regret not choosing to participate. I sort of wish that I had volunteered because I saw how much fun it was, I regret not being more willing to go for it,” said Trevitte.

As with any live performance, some things did not go quite as planned, which only added to the fun and unpredictability.

“During our Saturday night show, the baby doll during “Three Guys and a Doll,” head just came right off and then the actors just had to deal with it and continue the scene with a headless baby doll,” said senior co-director Katie Downing.

Most of the cast members expressed how very different this play is from any other play they have participated in while at BC. 

Riley Berry, who performed for the first time at BC in the play, said he “loves the energy the audience brings everyday.” 

“It’s so much fun, because you get the chance to act like a child again and it’s awesome,” Berry said. 

Lenig said his favorite part of being in the play is the “atmosphere of the whole cast and how fun it’s been to put this chaos together.”  

“I think this is such a unique play that we get to try on so many different hats and do so many different characters and we’re not restricted to one thing, and I think that diversity is so fun,” Lenig said.