Augustana’s student-directed fall musical, the contemporary song cycle “Edges,” opened on Oct. 30 in the Blackbox Theatre to a sold-out audience, a pattern repeated all four nights. The Augustana community embraced the messy authenticity of the show, crowding into the theatre to see their peers articulate vulnerable emotions as 14 actors looked out into the tightly packed seats and asked, “Who am I? Who do I want to become?” 

These questions are the recurring themes of an otherwise non-linear show written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul during their undergrad years. Twenty years after it was released, Augustana students are still wrestling with the same questions. 

Senior Kaden Micklos, director of the show, said that, although “Edges” strikes a chord for him as he prepares to enter the theatre industry full-time, everyone will be able to relate to its message of becoming who you’re meant to be. 

“We’re seeing a snapshot of these characters’ lives in a very crucial decision-making moment, and everyone, in their lives, has that,” Micklos said. “What are you gonna do? That’s what this whole show is about…living on the edge.” 

Although the show was originally written for four performers, exploration and revision were encouraged by Pasek and Paul. After a highly competitive audition process, Micklos chose fourteen cast members. Four full-cast songs, like the show’s opening “Become,” were scattered between solos in the spotlight for each actor. 

Sophomore V Bechtel gave voice to a disillusioned Pizza Hut employee wanting to become a great inventor in “Boy with Dreams.” Junior Jensen Stoneking narrated a vengeful breakup through “In Short,” to raucous applause. 

Every song and scenario was different, but each story was told straight from the heart. 

For some actors, such as First-Year Jili Jones, it was their first time playing a contemporary character that felt relatable to them. Jones made her debut on the Augustana stage with a theatre past of playing Disney-princess-type characters that felt completely different from her. 

In “Edges,” Jones said she was allowed to be vulnerable and raw with her solo number “Perfect,” singing through the lens of a girl feeling like she needed to change herself for a partner to not end up alone. She said that the experience has helped her come out of her shell as an actor.

“I think that [authenticity is] really important to see as an audience member and a performer,” Jones said. “To have something that I’ve loved to do for so long relate to my personal life is something that I haven’t been able to do yet.”

Junior DJ Roberts, assistant director, said that the show proves that we’re all people attempting to make it through life one day at a time –and that live theatre is the perfect medium to explore that message. 

“Edges” marks the first time in five years that a musical has run in the Blackbox Theatre, and the small space allowed attendees to come face-to-face with the performers. Although Blackbox and student-led shows do not usually sell as well as mainstage productions, Roberts emphasized how appealing “Edges” was to audiences. 

“The thing we’re really proud of is that we had to expand the amount of seats we could put into the Blackbox,” Roberts said. “We’re looking at four nights sold-out.” 

As attendees trickled out of the intimate venue each night after standing ovations, the same question floated through the air. “Who am I? Who do I want to become?”