The stage is finally set for the Elements of Theater club, a new student-run organization that will allow science students to embrace the performing arts.
Gianna Calligy ’23, president and founder of Elements of Theater, has been involved with the performing arts since she was five years old. But when she arrived at the University City campus as a first-year in 2019, there was no theater department. So Calligy decided she would bring her love of theater to the campus herself.
Although her original plans were halted by the pandemic, Calligy stayed committed to her goal, and now, nearly three years later, Elements of Theater is moving full speed ahead.
“I think it’s really important to have these creative spaces, because while we [UCity students] do love science, it’s not the only thing we love,” Calligy said. “Just because we’re not interested in pursuing [theater] professionally or academically doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have a space where we want to perform it.”
The name “Elements of Theater” has been picked out since Calligy’s first year, a clever play on words that combines the periodic table of elements with all the different elements that go into a show.
“We knew we wanted a sciencey name for it,” Calligy said. “We wanted it to be representative of the population that we serve.”
Vivian Mei ’27, secretary of the club, was involved in stage crew in high school and also wished there was a theater club on campus.
“I think we’re just really excited to start this sort of club, because at the UCity campus, it’s all science majors,” Mei said. “So it’s exciting to introduce the arts more to this school.”
The club’s primary goal is to fundraise enough money to put on a fall play toward the end of the semester in the Athletic & Recreation Center (ARC). On Sept. 7, the club’s executive board (eboard) hosted a bake sale during which they raised “a significant portion of what [they] will need” for the fall play, according to Calligy.
Elements of Theater welcomes students with all levels of theater experience, including the club’s very own treasurer, Shodd Rivers ’23, who took an acting class last semester and ended up really enjoying it. When Calligy asked if he’d like to join the club, the decision was simple.
“There was no theater club before, so a lot of science kids just never even got interested in it,” Rivers said. “But now that they have an option, hopefully a lot of other people would like to act or even be in stage crew.”
The club also plans to host weekly game nights where members can come together to form a close community of theater-lovers.
“I was hoping to hold regular theater game nights where we can all just play improv games and hang out and really bond,” Calligy said. “People may have stage fright, and maybe one day they want to become actors, or maybe they just want to come out to weekly improv night, and that is completely fine.”
Looking to the future, Elements of Theater hopes to put on another show in the spring, and further bring the performing arts to UCity in whatever ways they can.
“There were a lot of people who had hoped this would exist,” Calligy said. “A lot of people were saying, ‘I’ve always wished this school had this!’ And now we do.”
