A theatrical stage features a group of performers sitting with musical instruments and music sheets, lit by warm stage lights. The background has black walls with handwritten lyrics projected in blue cursive text.

CREATING SMALL THUNDER

April, 2023

Wirtz Center Student Performance Project

Director and Composer: Mya Vandegrift

Producer: Leo Kurland

Music Director: Khoi Le

Winner of best undergraduate research project of the year in the Performance Studies department at Northwestern University

Role: Bird

“Creating Small Thunder is an exploration of farms as places of death and rebirth, and how we are all connected to the people we come from, and our role in honoring our roots as well as where we must grow…the idea that something as biological as photosynthesis can also be seen as a promise: energy is never created or destroyed, that what has passed stays with us to enrich the present.” (Mya Vandegrift) link to read more

The image shows three women in a theatrical stage setting. One woman is sitting on the floor adjusting her hair, wearing beige pants and a crocheted sweater. Another woman is standing with her back to the camera, wearing a long skirt and a flower crown, raising her arms. The third woman, standing to the right, is on the phone, smiling, and wearing beige pants and a sweater. The background has a black wall with tall artificial corn stalks, and a wooden chair is situated on the stage.
Group of young women embracing each other on the beach with the ocean in the background.
Two women on stage, one playing a character with a crown of greenery, standing among dried corn stalks, with a chair nearby, stage lighting illuminating them against a dark background.
A group of children performing a play on stage with wheat decorations, dressed in costumes resembling nature and farm themes, with some seated and others standing with arms extended.
Two young women performing a theatrical scene on stage, one standing and speaking, the other kneeling and listening, with stage props and dark background.
Theater performance depicting a scene with multiple actors on stage, some kneeling or lying down, with a background of trees and a large screen, dimly lit with warm lighting.
Group of nine young women outdoors on rocky terrain with dry grass and overcast sky, some holding lace fabric, posing for a photo.
Theater stage with performers and an audience clapping, decorated with corn stalks, rugs, and props for a play or performance.