Columbia students stepped into a playful, transformative world where household objects chase their dreams, blending bold performance with a message about identity and celebrating differences.

When Columbia College Chicago staged “I Want to Be a Vase,” a new Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) production adapted and directed by School of Theatre and Dance faculty member Grace Overbeke PhD, students stepped into a world where everyday objects dream big, transform boldly, and challenge the limits placed on them. For performers, the story offered both creative freedom and a chance to connect with young audiences in meaningful, high-energy ways. 

In addition to performances at Columbia on November 11-13, the ensemble brought the show on tour to Chicago public elementary schools and children’s hospitals—including Lincoln Elementary, Martin Luther King Arts Elementary, and Garfield Park Psychiatric Hospital.

Based on the picture book by Julio Torres and illustrated by Julian Glander, “I Want to Be a Vase” follows a plunger who decides it wants to become a vase—and discovers a world full of other household objects who also long to break free of expectations. The story blends humor, surreal visuals, and a message about embracing identity and celebrating differences, making it a rich foundation for theatrical play and physical storytelling. 

Finding the Heart of a Nonhuman Character 

Sabrina Borg, a junior studying Comedy Writing and Performance with an Illustration minor, played the plunger, a role that aligned deeply with their personality and creative instincts. Borg describes their performance style as “loud and bold,” a quality Overbeke recognized immediately. “I love this role because it is so in line with my personal beliefs, and sharing that brazen spirit with a group of impressionable children is a dream come true,” they say. 

To shape the plunger’s emotional life, Borg drew on childhood memories of being told they didn’t fit certain roles—an experience that helped anchor the character with specificity and heart. They noted that the role fully clicked once the cast began run-throughs in the theatre, where the energy of a potential young audience heightened their performance. “Knowing that I only had a half-hour to make whatever statement I wanted to lit a fire under me,” Borg recalls. 

Adapting a Story That Meets the Moment 

For Overbeke, the idea for the project started at home. “This play began, as many wonderful things do, by reading a stack of library books with my five-year-old kiddo, Izzy,” she says. “‘I Want to Be a Vase’ captured my heart and imagination and wouldn't let go until it was on stage.” 

She saw the story as a direct counterpoint to the polarized and often dehumanizing rhetoric young people encounter today. The play poses a timely question: What if we affirmed the dreams and identities of even the most ordinary objects? 

The production emphasized transformation in every element: actors shifting their bodies from buildings to couches to dancers; scenic pieces morphing from mountains to skylines; lighting that reshaped the mood with a single cue. Designers worked to capture Glander’s surreal, candy-colored visual style, allowing the book’s world to spill vibrantly onto the stage. 

One moment that particularly moved Overbeke involved an unexpected gesture of kindness. “The Vacuum Cleaner has been nothing but boorish and dismissive to the other objects,” she says. “When the Hairdryer helps the Vacuum Cleaner clean up a mess instead of reprimanding them, it becomes “a heroic triumph of empathy.” 

A Collaborative Studio for Play and Discovery 

Borg describes the rehearsal process as generous and exploratory, with Overbeke encouraging actors to experiment freely. “She gave us lots of space to explore our individual characters and never shot down any of our ideas; in turn, she amplified all of our quirks,” Borg says. That openness helped the ensemble build a world where curiosity and play shaped every moment, both in rehearsal and onstage. 

Overbeke hopes the production inspired children and families to leave the theatre excited about the magic of live performance—and with a renewed sense of how celebrating differences can open doors to transformation and possibility. 

 

• Theatre and Dance

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