Let your imagination loose with Seattle Pacific University theater and their second production of the year, “The Old Man and the Old Moon” by Pigpen Theatre Co.

The play tells the story of how the moon appears full in the sky. Taking a mythical turn, the audience is dropped into the world of The Old Man, whose duty is to ensure the light of the moon remains full. The adventure begins when his wife goes missing; having to decide between duty and love, The Old Man sets out on a climactic adventure to find his wife. Along the way, he meets exotic characters. In doing so, he navigates shark-infested waters, dodges sea creatures and confronts his inner promise to return to a memory that was long lost.

The show opened on Thursday, Feb. 1, taking place in McKinley Hall. Immediately after the show, second-year theater performance major Elisabeth Edmonds felt relief and excitement. 

“I feel really content, this is a really beautiful story, and this is a really special group of people,” Edmonds said. “We started rehearsals in November. Over winter break, we all memorized everything, came back in January, and for the last four weeks, we’ve just been rehearsing every night, grinding and getting it ready. To have that culminate tonight is all I can ask for.”

The long hours proved both fulfilling for the cast and exciting for the audience. Reflecting on the entire production process, Edmonds was echoed by fellow castmate and third-year theater performance major Carson Wong.

“There was a lot of work put into this,” Wong said. “We come here at 6 o’clock and don’t leave until 11 o’clock. every day. It’s all worth it, we put on a fantastic show, and we just really gave off the energy we wanted to share with the audience.”

SPU’s production of “The Old Man and the Old Moon” proved to be dynamic in more ways than one. Third-year performance major Daniel Mercado admitted the challenges they faced in preparation for opening night. 

“I feel great, we’ve been working very hard and all of us are very talented and capable people,” Mercado said. “This is a different musical style than most of us are used to with physicality and working with dialects. There were a lot of figuring things out and there’s a lot of spectacles in this show.”

Fourth-year theater performance major Brock Bowers starred as “The Old Man.” He thanked the entire production team for their hard work and mused on the skills he and the team gained. 

“It’s truly something else in terms of the sense of reward,” Bowers said, “Everybody’s walking into this show with different journeys, and we’ve had to add new tools into our performance toolbox, and so everyone’s come through and learned something new which is truly rewarding.”

The audience displayed a rollercoaster of emotions. From excitement to hysterical laughter to subtle sounds of somberness, this production packs more than meets the eye. Bowers had a lot to say about the story and why the SPU community should come out to see the show.

“As soon as I picked up the script, I immediately fell in love with it because it reminded me of these epic seafaring books I read as a kid,” Bowers said. “Come out and enjoy the silliness of it; feel the surprising depth of some of these characters’ stories, it’s definitely worth your time and money.”

The arts and theater are an essential craft that contributes to the world in more ways than we know. SPU theater seeks to bring joy in telling stories and opening one’s imagination with every show. Wong emphasized how special it is for the community to rally around the theater.

“Theater is definitely one of those arts that’s a little bit not too well known especially now in the modern age, so it’s always a treat when we’re able to perform in front of students our age and faculty and members of the SPU community.” Wong said.

Performances of “The Old Man and the Old Moon” continue from Feb. 8-10. More information can be found on Instagram @sputheatre.