By Tanner Stephens

UPIKE’s theater program kicks off its first production of 2025 with Laurel Ollstein’s 2017 play, They Promised Her The Moon. Set in 1960, the play is based on a true story about Jerrie Cobb. Cobb was one of thirteen women selected to go under training for the United States first spaceflight program, Project Mercury. Seven male astronauts were chosen to fly the spacecraft, while Cobb and the other women who trained were never given the opportunity to do so.

The play explores gender inequality and conformity and how these aspects of society personally affect the dreams and aspirations of women. The main character, Jerrie Cobb, actively goes against the gendered expectations of the 1960s as she pursues a career as an astronaut.

“They Promised Her The Moon” is the first play to be directed by FMA major Amanda Tharp. I had a chance to speak to Amanda about the experience, where she opened up to me about her process and experience directing the play and why the play’s themes were important to her.

As a first-time director, what was your process for directing the play?

Process-wise, this play was just like any other show. I had to take on the responsibilities of scheduling, which was new for me. I also had to get the set and the props together. Overall, it was a challenging but enjoyable experience.

Why did you choose the play, “They Promised Her The Moon”?

I think this play contains a lot of themes that have remained relevant to this day. The show focuses on issues relating to the equality and treatment of women, many of which still occur to this day. As a woman in modern-day America, I feel like we’ve come a long way, but it feels like society regresses sometimes. The same issues we overcame decades ago still come up today.

Did you have a specific vision for the play? Were you able to accomplish that vision?

Visually, not really outside of a few small details. The show itself is written to be very abstract. It was just a question of how we portray that abstract nature. When it came to casting, it was really easy. Everyone who auditioned was great and fit perfectly into their roles.

What challenges, if any, did you face during production? How did you address these challenges?

The weather was challenging, with the flood and snow. We ended up pushing the show’s date back by half a week. Besides that, we also had issues with casting. Long into production, some of the cast members had to be recast due to health issues and personal reasons. Thankfully, we were able to get new actors to fill in the roles. 

Amanda’s first experience directing a play proved challenging but rewarding. Her passion for directing was clear from watching the production. The play was a deeply personal and meaningful experience to Amanda and she got to bring her vision to life with great success. From my memory, she is the first female student to direct a play in recent years. Instead of doing a play that is more universal in its themes and subject material, Amanda did something that she was passionate about and I have to applaud her for that.