PROVO — Jared Kamuu had clearly thought about the question before I asked it. Still, he paused and reflected with an answer that felt sincere but not scripted. “I think the name Vicariously Staged comes out of wanting to do shows about things that are real, but that not everyone has to deal with or might not be seen within.” Provo’s newest theatre company produced a beautiful production of Every Brilliant Thing at the Hive Collaborative in February. After seeing the show, I had the chance to sit down with Kamuu, the executive director, and Mari Joy Asiado — who goes by Joy — starred in the emergent company’s first production.
Being the solo actor in a performance was new for Asiado. “So much of acting is listening, and suddenly, I had to figure out how to talk to nobody and everybody.” At times the performer playing the lead in Every Brilliant Thing has to ask someone to take off a shoe and sock, be a romantic partner, or help put down a beloved pet. These challenges, which make it emotionally high risk, are part of what appealed to the Vicariously Staged team as a premiere production. The rehearsal process for a show where your scene partner is the audience began with two weeks of virtual rehearsal from Asiado’s home in Chicago with Kamuu and director Skyler Denfeld. The process then brought her to Utah for a week leading up to the show’s opening.
Coming from the vibrant BYU theatre program, a group of young theatre makers wants to expand the scope of stories that are told in Provo and let their art be a mirror to Provo. The charismatic Jared Kamauu spoke animatedly of his brainchild, Vicariously Staged Productions, which seeks to be a mirror of sorts. “We want you to create a place to see and be seen; to experience things you don’t get to as an audience member.” Vicariously Staged, who will be announcing their season shortly, is deep into their next project.
Jared Kamuu and Mari Joy of Vicariously Staged Productions
“I can’t say too much about it just yet,” Kamuu relates, “but we’re interested in stories that deal with caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s Diseases, dementia, and things of that nature. So often there are sides to the disease that don’t get talked about enough.” It’s an interesting piece to highlight the kind of work to expect from Vicariously Staged in the future. While the focus for many on fighting the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease is the person who the disease inflicts, this opportunity to pursue a story about the toll on caregivers reflects the nature of their first production. Every Brilliant Thing, for the most part, is not about the suicidal ideations of the protagonist, but how those ideations, and eventual outcome from a parent impact those left behind.
Both Kamuu and Asiado pointed to a line in Every Brilliant Thing which says, “It’s important to talk about things, especially the things that are hard to talk about.” Dealing with heavy topics and themes to devise shows and a theatre company is part of the beauty of the art. The communication between team members and even the hosting organization, The Hive Collaborative, was essential to making this production happen.
“Joy came to me in December [2023] to present the idea of doing this show for the company, and in about two months we were able to find a great venue and crowdfund the show to enable us to have this production happen at all. It was pretty incredible.” He spoke glowingly of how The Hive Collaborative was exceptionally supportive and helpful to him as a first time producer utilizing their space and venue. Stressors were reduced by the Hive’s team gilding Vicariously Staged through utilizing their lights and sound, and even allowing the design team to use furniture in the building to construct their set.
Our conversation ended with asking, what is your “Brilliant Thing” today? For Asiado, her first Brilliant thing is was a scrumptious pepperoni and cheese croissant from Bianca’s in Provo. Her second was listening to Kamuu share a poem he’d written about Dwayne the Rock Johnson. Kamuu’s brilliant thing was debating films for the Oscars. Whether or not that poem becomes a further piece in the production history of Vicariously Staged is yet to be seen. What is clear, however, is that a new theatre company is looking to make a mark on Provo.
