SALT LAKE CITY — Snapshot, produced by Sasquatch Theatre Company and written by Sam Allen and Carlie Young, is a unique telling of a young adult, Elisha, and her life and experiences. This performance has moments of dialogue with regular blocking and moments of modern dancing, emphasizing what is going on inside the characters and how their relationships are. This show is the most important show of the whole festival, because it’s the one that speaks to me the deepest.
Show closes August 11, 2019.
Elisha was played by Megan Sparrer, and was very relatable. Elisha told of her struggles with an over-controlling father who taught her to get over her emotions. The story told of her mother’s death and how Elisha and her best friend grew apart. Elisha struggles to be open about her sexuality, but she finally takes the leap of faith and meets a partner, whom Elisha has a hard time letting in. Eventually Elisha tells the audience that she just wishes she could be open and be herself and that people would still just see her without judging her. That is a sentiment that I think we all want.
The music and dancing was the most powerful to me. All the performers repeated a few movements that kept the theme of feeling trapped, i.e., grabbing their own wrists while trying to push their hand free of their own grip. The music and lighting fit well with the dancing portions, and I appreciated the Stage Manager, Maya Rung, as the person making it all happen.
It was amazing to see how well the dancing fit into the play and how the dialogue fit with the movements. I hope everyone going to the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival this year gets to see Snapshot. Most of all, I hope Elisha’s sentiment becomes a reality, for people to truly see each other without the labeling and categorizing.
