To the friends...

The four of us entered Northwestern knowing that we wanted to pursue theatre, knowing that we wanted to dedicate a huge part of our lives to the arts. Little did we know that we would find something so beyond our expectations in The Waa-Mu Show.

It’s hard to explain exactly what The Waa-Mu Show means to us. We all joined the Waa-Mu community freshman year when, suddenly away from home and family, we were looking for a new place to belong. Since then, The Waa-Mu Show has been our constant; it has been our home away from home. With every aspect of the Waa-Mu experience, we have found a family to which we are willing to dedicate our senior year.

When we were welcomed into the community, things were very much in flux. The format of the show was changing; the organization was expanding, but age-old traditions still rang true. The traditions of Waa-Mu have inspired each of us in different ways. They have inspired our stories, our Northwestern experiences, our chosen career paths beyond college. What makes tradition so special is that it reflects the organization as it was and also as it stands in the present. In turn, every member of the Waa-Mu family from 1929 to 2017 is connected. As the 2016-2017 Co-Chairs, it is important to us that we keep this sentiment alive by exploring how decades of tradition can best resonate with our community today. We have found solace in this organization, and we believe that creating an open and inclusive environment will help ensure that everyone can have a similar experience.

As we seek to illuminate what is extraordinary about every voice in our community, we find it only fitting to present a show that revolves around this belief. We are absolutely thrilled to announce The 86th Annual Waa-Mu Show Beyond Belief: a superhero story.

Beyond Belief follows two sisters as they grapple with harsh realities by creating a fantastical world of superheroes. Imagination comes to life as the sisters create extraordinary characters based on “everyday heroes” in their everyday lives. Our story explores what makes each of us “super” and how believing may be the most powerful magic we have. Beyond Belief shows us how the most unlikely person can be the hero of your story and how the love of family, in every sense of the word, is resilient. This is a story for our campus, this is a story for the greater Evanston community, this is a story for anyone who strives to believe in something.

With traditions, both old and new, we are honored to follow the friends who have come before us in adding to the legacy that is The Waa-Mu Show.

Jessie Jennison, Charlotte Morris, Eric Peters, Justin Tepper