By Nia Mwangi
Every Monday at 6 p.m, Cru Productions gathers at Meyers Rehearsal Hall located at the Sue and Frank Performing Arts Center. The organization is led by president, junior Multimedia and information technology major Kaitlyn Weir; vice president, junior, education major Maya Woods; secretary, senior, transformations development major Hailey Anderson and historian, junior, graphic design major Lauren Berryhill.
The organization faced difficulties from the Student Government when presenting its ideas due to the unclear separation between Cru Productions and Cru Films. Additionally, the club has also struggled with obtaining the legal rights to student-led production due to various licensing companies not recognizing Cru Productions as a legal organization. According Berryhill, the club leaders overcame these challenges by“trusting that God and Dr.Balboa (advisor) would guide us in the right direction.”
“Even with this trouble, at the first meeting of the year, there was a good turnout of people. Over 15 people were interested in theater and what we are trying to achieve,” Berryhill said.
During the club's meetings, the leaders start off by explaining elements of theater such as how theater originated and the proper way to audition. The club ends their meeting with theater games, which was described by club freshman member April Kelly as, “A great excuse to hang out with my friends”
At the organization's third meeting of the year, the leaders announced the production of “Godspell” for the fall 2024 semester. Berryhill also announced a fundraiser called “Soda and Songs” that will take place Sept. 19 at the local soda shop in town.
Despite the club troubles, Cru Productions has a growing attendance, and according to Berryhill, she remains “Excited to see how our theater organization changes those involved.”
