The U of M Theatre Program is set to present their first production of the year, An Experiment by Brent Holland, from Oct. 28-29.

The play revolves around five individuals who are put together in a room by a doctor. Each person is assigned a particular personality trait, such as “compassionate” or “orderly,” which is written on their shirts. The titular experiment is to see what these individuals do in high pressure situations. 

Andreas Detillieux, director of the production, said, “[It’s about] exploring personality traits and how they interact — is it learned? Is it inherent?” He added, “And [it’s about] how they behave not having any other recollection of their lives […] Is free will even a thing?” 

Detillieux stated that his directing approach is mostly based on his gut feelings and what he has seen other directors do. 

“I try to go in it with a mindset that anything can happen, any actor can make any decision, and we can work with that and build it into the play,” he explained. “Whereas I still have ideas of where people should be […] But in general, I would say it’s a collective thing, and so I try to make sure everyone has input from every direction.” 

Actor Sydney Pacheco, who plays Impulsive, found herself relating to her character.  

“I’m a very impulsive person, I have ADHD […] I’ve been getting to not worry about not showing those traits and play a character that’s honestly really true to myself, it’s really fun,” she said. Fellow actor Olivia O’Leary, who plays Devious, enjoys the complicated nature of her role. 

“One of Devious’ biggest things during this play is an internal struggle because she gets told what she is, and part of her wants to prove this wrong,” she explained. “Something I really enjoy about playing this character is exploring that battle and just seeing where that takes her through the play and how it impacts others.” 

O’Leary expressed that she did not want to make Devious a one-dimensional character, but rather explore how the trait could be applied to a normal, everyday person. 

In addition to what happens on stage, there has been much work behind the scenes and in publicity. 

Prop coordinator Danica Lindsay said, “the biggest thing [with the props] was trying to find the balance between realism and still being theatrical.” She added, “as much as we wanted to […] be as insane as we could, we did have to find ways to dial it back […] How can I make this realistic while still maintaining safety?” 

Costume coordinator Mica Villanueva mentioned the challenge in conveying the characters through the costumes, as the characters wear similar clothing according to the script. However, she took advantage of an idea during production for the characters to be colour-coded. “I tried to incorporate the characters’ colours, even if it’s very subtly,” she stated. 

For promotional materials, publicity manager Destiny Klassen has kept up with current social media trends in creating promotional content for online platforms. 

“Stuff that’s popular on TikTok and Instagram right now that people are seeing, we like to take those ideas and [put] a theatre kid spin on it,” she explained. 

The cast and crew frequently referenced the unpredictable nature of An Experiment as a draw to the show.

“This is a show that always keeps you guessing, and I think that’s something really special about it,” said O’Leary.

When asked what he hoped audiences would take away from the show, Detillieux hoped that they would have more questions than answers. 

“I’m hoping audiences have questions going into it and more coming out […] I hope that’s what we achieve,” he stated. 

The U of M Theatre Program’s production of An Experiment opens at the John J. Conklin Theatre in the Taché Arts Complex on Oct. 28 and closes Oct. 29. Admission is free. For more information on the U of M Theatre Program, follow @umanitobatheatre on Instagram.