When Wilkes University Theatre stages its production of I Love You Because from Nov. 13-16, the musical will serve as a homecoming celebration of sorts for its director, Sean Patrick Gibbons.
Gibbons, visiting assistant professor of theatre, has been a performing arts professional since he was seven years old. After graduating from Scranton Prep, he majored in theatre and secondary education at Marywood University before his career took him to New York, Boston and graduate school in Florida.
But now, returning home to northeastern Pennsylvania for the first time in 15 years, Gibbons is in his dream role, teaching and directing at Wilkes. “I wanted to come back to a small BFA program and give back. These students’ experiences were my experiences at that age,” says Gibbons. “I’m living the dream.”
With I Love You Because, Gibbons gets to share a little of that dream with audiences. The musical by Ryan Cunningham and Joshua Salzman is a modern-day reimagining of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Set against the melting pot that is Manhattan, I Love You Because tells the story of Austin, a buttoned-up greeting card writer, whose life is turned upside-down when he meets Marcy, a free-spirited photographer.
Through the course of the musical, the duo and the quirky crowd around them discover the beauty in imperfection. “The things we try to hide away become the things other people love about us.”
The musical is a great fit for the Division of Performing Arts season. It features a small cast of four principals and five ensemble members, giving each performer meaningful stage time. “It’s intimate and showcases our students’ growth,” says Gibbons. “It’s witty and modern and emotionally grounded, which encourages truthful and nuanced performances.”
For the cast and crew, one of the biggest challenges of bringing I Love You Because to life has been translating the musical from its original black box setting to the larger proscenium stage while maintaining the story’s intimate charm. Since the show takes place across 15 days in settings including a dive bar, a coffee shop, Central Park and two different apartments, the crew features six student stagehands who keep things moving.
“There’s a lot of locations that we have had to figure out on a larger scale, which I think has been challenging, but also really joyful and exciting,” says Gibbons. “In all my research, I have not found another production of this show that has sort of blown it up in the way that we have. But this really feels honest and truthful and raw in a way that I think works in both capacities. both intimately in a black box as well as on a larger scale.”
In his first few months on campus, Gibbons has found this kind of commitment to creative problem-solving to be a hallmark of Wilkes University Theatre. “I have been so enamored by the students here and the faculty creative team that have said, ‘Let’s figure this out together.’ Having worked all over the country with so many different artists, I can say that is not true of everywhere,” says Gibbons. “We are in constant dialogue as a creative team. I think having more people in the room, more artists in the room, trying to figure something out, just makes the art better.”
Now the only thing that will make the show better is an audience willing to fall in love with the messy romance of I Love You Because. “It’s witty. It’s charming. It’s imperfect. It’s like a sitcom,” says Gibbons. “It allows our audience to feel something that I think the world desperately needs right now, which is joy. It’s a show that celebrates connection and imperfection and the humor in being human.”
I Love You Because
Thursday Nov. 13 at 8 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 14 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 15 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available online at wilkes.edu/theatre. Cost is $20 for general admission, $15 for non-Wilkes students/senior citizens and free for Wilkes students, faculty and staff. The box office will open one hour before curtain for purchases in person.