Every great story begins with an idea. Playwrights in particular have the incredibly challenging but exciting job of turning that idea into a script, only then have to distance themselves from it while others interpret the world they've created. Bryce Real, in his final year in the MFA Playwriting program, created a truly magical world in the School of Theatre and Dance's recent production of The Blue Flower.

Real calls his play "a man's journey of understanding manhood and violence." The Blue Flower follows the story of a gardener named Hackett (Evan Price) who leaves his small village of Kleinfurden venturing into the forest to reach a mountain where a blue flower with magical properties rests guarded by a Great Adder. Hackett hopes to use the blue flower's magic to become a knight, allowing him to defeat an encroaching army of Heathens.

Along the way, Hackett meets several outsiders, such as an eccentric witch named Magnilda (Kerstin Vaughn) who wants to use Hackett's virgin heart for a special brew but must first see him slain by a non-witch. He also meets and befriends a young wolf named Neugla (Gracie Wilson) who also has a penchant for gardening. While on this journey, Hackett is joined by a rather peculiar character only he can see or hear, the Betruger (Hunter Lovering).

When asked about the mystery behind the Betruger, Real explained, "I'm actually reluctant to say anything. People have interpreted the Betruger in very different ways, and all of them are very meaningful. It's up for interpretation."

In his observations of America in 2020, Real knew he wanted to write about very real issues in the country: "I started writing on toxic masculinity, but for some reason it wasn't working. I talked to my mentor, Jesse Jou, who encouraged me to focus on writing about violence, about things I've observed in the world. He helped me to realize that subconsciously I was also writing about toxic masculinity."

Real writes about these issues within a fantasy framework, but where did the fantasy element come from? The answer is hidden in his use primarily of German names for the characters and places. "I forgot to do my homework for German class," Real explains as he launches into the story which would be the inception of The Blue Flower.

"Our homework was to go into class and express in German your favorite flower," says Real. "I remembered the assignment while we were in class and had to figure out a flower real quick. So, I just combined the words 'flower' and 'blue.' After a moment of silence, my professor asked, 'How do you know about the blue flower?'"

She discussed the blue flower as a German romantic symbol, a search for the infinite, the unobtainable. She was talking about this poem, which I thought sounded really cool, like it was a fantasy or something. Then when I read it, it was more of a philosophical kind of thing. I was a little disappointed, because there were all of these grand images [in my mind]. So I thought, 'Well, you know what, I'm gonna write a play with all of those grand images,' and that's how it came to be."

This gorgeous and fantastical world became the vehicle for Real to discuss key social issues, all stemming from procrastination (very recognizable to most college students).

The Blue Flower, directed by Jesse Jou, opened October 22.