Join Verbatim Theatre, a class of TMA students under the direction of Alexandra Mackenzie Johns and Shelley Graham for a CFAC collaboration at the Museum of Art. In this free and open-to-all event, you can see preview extracts from the upcoming, full-length performances of All The Beautiful Things, running from October 16-30. The group will perform word-for-word accounts of individuals who have left and returned to their faith, with each story connected to an artwork in the exhibition Earthbound and Heavenward.
This event is free, and all are welcome to attend, but space is limited.
About the Performers:
Verbatim Theatre is a class of BYU students led by Shelley Graham and Alexandra Mackenzie Johns.
Shelley Graham is a professor, writer, and dramaturg with degrees in theatre education, theatre history, and an MFA in theatre pedagogy and dramatic writing. As Dramaturgy Supervisor and adjunct faculty at Brigham Young University, her artistic and scholarly practice focuses on musical theatre script development and dramaturgy for devised theatre. Her creative work often explores women’s experiences in the complicated intersections of faith and performance in Western history. Recent projects include dramaturgy and theatrical direction for the devised dance theatre piece, Bind, Burn, Whisper, Press; and dramaturgy for the devised verbatim theatre projects, City of Women and All the Beautiful Things(for which she is also a co-writer) and which will premiere at BYU in October, 2026. In addition to her work as a professor, she is also the dramaturg for the new musical Alice in Neverland, opening at the Alliance and 5th Avenue theatres in 2027.
Alexandra Mackenzie Johns is a playwright, director, scholar and educator, specializing in large-scale commemorative theatrical events that bring communities’ sacred stories to life. Originally from Jersey in the British Isles, she now leads playwriting within Theatre Arts Studies, where she also explores site-specific theatre, particularly the reciprocity between landscape and religious performance.
Michelle Kesler from the School of Music, will be accompanying the evening with live cello music, which has been specially created for the paintings and performances.
Get Tickets for the Full Performance Here
