It’s time to spill the tea, Georgian-style. Tea, gossip, scuttlebutt, skinny, or, as it’s called here, scandal, is the theme of Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s play, The School for Scandal. This timeless classic, directed and adapted by Sarah Shippobotham, is coming to the Meldrum Theatre this February thanks to the University of Utah Department of Theatre.
Sheridan knew a thing or two about scandal. He was a sort of 18th century English influencer — the son of a novelist mother and an actor-turned-educator father, Richard became a playwright, politician, theatre owner, and, strangely enough, the treasurer of the Royal Navy. He’d run off to France with a famous singer, fought several near-fatal duels, and threw some of London’s most fashionable parties.
The play is a hoot — you know you’re in for a good time when there’s a character named Lady Sneerwell. But why would a modern audience want to watch an 18th century comedy of manners?
Theatre student Irey Oviatt, who has the formidable task of stage managing this large-scale production, explained the appeal succinctly: “What I love about The School for Scandal is that the substance of the gossip is exactly what we talk about today. Everyone is curious about who is with who, the juicy details of a fight, and how much money people have. Everyone has an opinion and sometimes people with the loudest ones shift narratives. Totally not relevant to anything happening right now, right?”
One of the biggest challenges they faced was bringing 18th century language up to date. “From the moment we started working on The School for Scandal, it was clear that the focus of the play needed to be on the audience's understanding of the language,” Irey explained. “As stage manager, what does that mean for me? It means edits and upkeep on a living script. It's vital that everyone be on the same page — pun intended — as things can get quite confusing when designers, directors, and actors are using different versions.”
One crucial modern adaption came in the sound design. Student Calvin Vinson took that on, crafting a story for the ears that complements what you are seeing on stage.
“Sound oftentimes carries a burden to maintain the pacing of the show and make sure the audience is engaged and understanding when key moments are happening,” Vinson recounted. “Very early in the process [director] Sarah Shippobotham talked about wanting to incorporate more modern elements. We were inspired particularly by the music of Prefab Sprout, Sade, and The Pet Shop Boys, who you can hear in the pre-show music. Getting to dive deep into the characteristics of the music and curating alongside Sarah has been an amazing time.”
Staging and sound work wonders, and what also makes The School for Scandal connect with a contemporary audience is its message of respect for “sentiment”, or sincere emotion. The liars are punished, and those who embrace honest feelings come out ahead. As the play’s dramaturg, Sydney Cheek-O’Donnell, puts it:
“part of the fun is recognizing ourselves in a play that was written almost 250 years ago. The technology we use may have changed, but what we do with it hasn’t changed all that much. Check out Tik Tok, Instagram, and YouTube if you don’t believe me.”
Andy Luo, the student who plays the unforgettable character of a conniving servant named Snake, takes some hope from the story. “The play clearly demonstrates all the different types of gossipers: the ones that think they are a good person but spread the most; the people who one-up each other; the ones that relish in gossip; the ones that gossip to fit into society; the goodhearted who despise gossip. It amazes me how the people who gossip and take delight in slander are seen as the top of society. Yet the ones who get the last laugh are the honest, truthful people.”
The School for Scandal holds a powerful lesson for a 21st century audience. But it’s also a rollicking good night of fun at the theatre. To quote Vinson again, “every single aspect of the show has been amplified to be larger than life and it can feel very gaudy. It’s over the top and ridiculous and not really meant to be taken seriously. Watching the play, I always feel immersed in this world that takes itself a lot less seriously than ours does. I don’t think we get that kind of relief in many other places, and I hope that we’re able to provide that to our audiences.”
The School For Scandal
By Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Directed & Adapted by Sarah Shippobotham
Meldrum Theatre at the Einar Nielsen Fieldhouse
375 S 1400 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Accessibility info
Fri, 2/13 @ 7:30 pm
Sat, 2/14 @ 2 pm
Sat, 2/14 @ 7:30 pm
Sun, 2/15 @ 2 pm
Thurs, 2/19 @ 7:30 pm
Fri, 2/20 @ 7:30 pm
Sat, 2/21 @ 2 pm
Sat, 2/21 @ 7:30 pm
Sun, 2/22 @ 2 pm
ASL interpreted performance and audience talkback Feb. 20 (by request, which must be made to
See Elaia Echeverria (Lady Sneerwell) on PBS Utah's Contact to catch all the productions hot goss
Costume Design
