BYU's Department of Theatre and Media Arts presented "Nine Years," a new play written, directed, designed and performed entirely by BYU students, Jan. 29-31 in the Black Box Theater. This was the production’s first staging.
Set in the near future, "Nine Years" follows the nine-year relationship between Sophie, played by Lila Wright, and Alan, played by Lex Smith. Conflict arises when a new technology allows people to remove traumatic memories, inviting audiences to reflect on the importance of memories and the people who shape them.
Michael Combs, the playwright of "Nine Years," said the idea first came after a friend pointed out how one chance meeting changed the course of their lives.
“That got me to thinking, how would that change who I was as a person if I didn’t remember having all those moments in my life,” Combs said. “Like, would I be different as a person without the impact of others?”
The concept was so compelling that Isabel Ownby, the director of "Nine Years," pitched it to the faculty running the TMA 536 course at BYU — an advanced stage directing experience that selects two projects for the school year.
“It really explores what it means to know someone, and the impact that they have on your memory,” Ownby said.
The process of producing "Nine Years" was long. Combs spent two to three years writing the script, and by the end of winter 2025, he and Ownby began discussing the possibility of bringing the script to the stage while participating in a study abroad program in London.
After finalizing the script in fall 2025, Ownby spent several months planning the production before rehearsals began that November.
“I was responsible for gathering my team, my lighting design, my sound designer, my stage manager and anybody else who I needed on the production,” Ownby said.
The production’s biggest challenges were time constraints, especially in ensuring the show highlighted the central relationship between its two characters.
With only two performers onstage throughout the production, a trait not typical for most theater productions, their connection carries the weight of the story.
Because the production had never been done before and was entirely student-led, Smith said it was less organized than faculty-led productions. Rehearsals were still underway just 30 minutes before opening night — a process that is usually finished a week in advance.
“I just had the fear that none of us would know what we were doing,” Smith said. “I was used to someone having a vision and knowing exactly what to do, and then me just being able to do that vision. When someone comes in and says, ‘I don’t have a vision, but I want to … create that with you guys,’ I hesitate a little bit.”
Despite the challenge, the team was fully committed to the project, helping unify the team and allowing space for creativity.
“I feel like it makes it so much more of … almost like a safe space … to make mistakes and learn,” Wright said.
Smith and Wright even practiced lines outside of rehearsals, memorizing around 1,000 lines between them, using tools like Quizlet.
Bringing "Nine Years" to the stage was full of challenges, but actors said the experience fostered growth and connection — mirroring the play’s message about how relationships shape who someone becomes.
“I learned that memories, people, experiences, everything in our past, make us who we are,” Smith said. “And we shouldn’t want to regret or wish to erase things from our past, no matter how bad they are.”