Snow College Theatre to tell the tale of the Soviet Night Witches in stage production

EPHRAIM—The latest Snow College theatre production features something audiences probably won’t expect: a 27-foot hand-built prop plane with movable wings, a cockpit and a working propeller, built to approximate the actual size of the biplanes flown by the Soviet Union’s all-female 588th Night Bomber Regiment during World War II.

The Night Witches, written by University of Utah graduate Rachel Bublitz, tells the story of women who flew canvas-and-wood planes on nighttime bombing runs against German forces. The regiment earned their fearsome nickname from terrified enemy soldiers.

The play follows two newly trained navigators on their first combat mission through movement, song, and lyrical dialogue.

Director Jason Craig West discovered the script years ago while teaching at a private Catholic high school in Dallas. He had received an email offering free digital play downloads and was scanning titles when this one stopped him.

“I thought, oh, nothing to do with witches,” he said. “It’s a fighter drama about all women dropping bombs on Nazis.” He produced a one-act version with his high school students and took it to competition.

When Snow College needed a production to fill the spring slot on short notice, Jason Craig West already had a vision. Bublitz’s script suggests using physical movement to simulate aerial combat, but Jason Craig West went a different direction. The production team originally built a 37-foot puppet plane before scaling it back by ten feet after realizing the full version left almost no usable stage space. Since so much of the play takes place in the sky, they needed a visual anchor for the audience to hold onto.

The plane isn’t the production’s only creative choice. Violinist Mary Brown portrays Marina Raskova, the real-life pilot who petitioned to create all-female military aviation regiments. Brown opens the show with a solo from the balcony, descends to take the plane on its first flight, then returns to the balcony where she serves as a guiding presence for the rest of the performance.

Music Director Bryce Esplin enhanced a song Bublitz wrote based on a traditional Russian melody and built the audio tracks that bring the aerial sequences to life.

The production came together under tight circumstances. Virtual auditions during finals week yielded only two actors, so West spent Christmas break recruiting from his classes and the college’s improv troupe. The full cast wasn’t locked in until the second week of rehearsals. Ten of the 11 cast members are freshmen, with one sophomore rounding out the ensemble.

Costumes and props were shipped from Jason Craig West’s Dallas high school production to save time and money, then enhanced by cast member and costumer Leia Alitagtag, who also plays one of the pilots.

Despite the compressed timeline, Jason Craig West sees real resonance in the material. “It goes back to the big divide we have within our country,” he said. “Heroes come in all shapes and sizes and they can come from anywhere.”

He emphasized that the play isn’t about women fighting against men. These are soldiers first, and their heroism stands on its own. The story centers on sisterhood, patriotism and what happens when people find strength through each other.

For Sanpete County audiences unfamiliar with the title, Jason Craig West wants to be clear: This is a WWII drama. It’s appropriate for all ages, though there are strobe light effects during bombing sequences. The cast performs with Soviet-era accents throughout.

The Night Witches runs Feb. 12-14 and 19-21 at 7:30 p.m., with Saturday matinees on Feb. 14 and 21 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for youth and seniors.