Concordia Student Writes and Directs Spring Play ‘Where We Are’

Students perform “Where We Are,” a comedy set in the fictional fast food restaurant Chick-E-Way, written and directed by sophomore Brianna Dehn. Photo courtesy of CUNE Theatre.

by Paige Uzzell

Concordia’s Theatre Department presented the student-led play “Where We Are” on the weeked on Feb. 22-Feb. 24.

The play was written two years ago by sophomore Brianna Dehn, who is also the director of the production.

“The play is a dramatic comedy about a variety of fast food workers and their lives and how they intertwine,” Dehn said. “It’s about a parody Chick-fil-A, called Chick-E-Way, and anyone who’s worked a minimum-wage job can relate to it.”

Dehn has spent many hours writing and preparing the play to be ready for a stage production.

“I wrote the first draft of ‘Where We Are’ two years ago and have gone through maybe five or six drafts since,” Dehn said. “Between that and directing, I’ve spent 100 to 150 hours on this play, but it’s something I really enjoy, so it’s a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun to me.”

There is a lot of work involved with creating a show for the public, but Dehn is not new to the play production business. This is the ninth play that she has put together, and she finds joys in watching the whole process come together.

“The best part is just the whole process of watching the story and the characters come to life. This is my ninth play, but every time it still blows me away. Especially at this level,” Dehn said.

Dehn said there were many ups and downs throughout the development of the show, but she kept her head up and pushed on.

“The hardest parts are things not turning out exactly as I envisioned. I’ve had an image in my head for a long time and when things don’t turn out like I originally planned out, it takes some adjustment, but we always figure it out.” Dehn said. “Sometimes it turns out better than what I wanted in the first place.”