“Everybody,” written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, is a modern adaptation of a play from the 15th century called “Everyman.” Directed by Jess Kingsley ‘23, It is about to make its debut in Loyola’s McManus Theatre. Kingsley also had the opportunity to choose this play for this semester.

Kingsley said, “I’ve always wondered, ‘What is death? What happens when we die? Is God real?’ This play takes you on this journey of what you can take with you when you die.” According to Kinsley, the play can also be related to the classes that Loyola students take. 

She said, “This sums up everything that you’ve learned in your theology and philosophy classes into a modern and weird play. You learn all these theological and philosophical concepts and you get to see all those on a stage.”

One thing that makes “Everybody” unique is the part that a lottery plays in it. Matthew Gamerdinger ‘24 is one of the actors who participates in the lottery and explained the meaning behind it.

Gamerdinger said, “The lottery was devised as a way to symbolize the randomness of life and death. Somebody could be anybody or everybody. Anyone can play anyone.”

Five of the characters are part of a lottery in each showing and that is how they are given their roles. This means that five actors have to be familiar with five different roles, as they could be given any of those through the lottery process. Grace Transom ‘24 is another actor who is part of the lottery. 

Transom said, “You literally find out what you’re playing on-stage at the beginning of the show. It’s not something that most people are used to, and I am excited to see how the audience will react to the randomness of the show. It’s a show about life, so someone’s going to die in the end, which makes you think about the weirdness of life.”

Olivia McKenzie ‘24 plays a different role in the show. She had the task of embodying and acting out a concept, as she plays the character Time. 

McKenzie said, “Time comes in towards the end of the show and is very business, business, business. She’s like a secretary. I’ve never played such a concept before, so it’s fun to play that role.”  

“Everybody” premieres this Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. They also have showings on Nov. 18 at 8 p.m., Nov. 19 at 2 p.m and 8 p.m, and Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. 

You can get tickets for any of the showings at the Box Office or on Ticketmaster.

Featured Image Courtesy of Abby MacLeod.