Laura Strickman '07 initially penned "Thicker Than Water," an adaptation of "Hamlet," for a class taught by playwright-in-residence Connie Congdon and Professor of Russian Catherine Ciepiela. Her assignment was to write anything related to Chekhov. Because she had been interested in "Hamlet" for years, she explored the Chekhovian "character-driven" aspects of the play such as "the obsessive mother-son relationship" and "the way that Hamlet becomes trapped in inaction." As Strickman continued to write, she let go of Shakespearean plot constraints, developed other characters and created a new play of her own.
In "Thicker Than Water," Hamlet has just returned from college and must handle his father's death, his mother's new husband (Hamlet's uncle) and mad Ophelia. Although she enjoys acting crazy and justifying that craziness, Lisa Smith '09, who plays Ophelia, insists, "She's got lots of layers and many lucid moments, so it's incredibly interesting figuring out when she's more or less crazy and what triggers the occasional pieces of sanity."
Assuming the playwright's prerogative, Strickman has been attending rehearsals, editing and clarifying lines. Under the direction of Michael Birtwistle, this production promises to make you smile (though perhaps not with daggers) and to surprise those of you who thought you knew "Hamlet."
For their senior project in acting, Catherine Macdonald '07E and William Unsworth '07E will perform in David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Proof." Macdonald said that she had wanted to act in this drama ever since she saw the Broadway production. "Proof" examines how the play's female protagonist, also named Catherine, reconciles the death of her mathematical genius-madman of a father. The show also plays off of its title in the challenge to prove whether Catherine or her father wrote the proof. Director and Professor of Theater & Dance Manu Mukasa calls his staging "'Proof' plus" because he delivers the "standard protagonist-driven play" and delves into the personal struggles of the supporting characters, Claire (Catherine's sister) and Hal (Catherine's lover).
According to Mukasa, "This production looks at the challenge all of us face in trying to balance and reconcile the demands and experiences of our inner worlds with that of our outer ones." This idea is reflected in not only the three main characters, but also the sets, lighting and sound design. The acting, directing and design of this play prove that "Proof" will be an emotionally and visually striking presentation.
The fall season concludes with "Performance Project," a collage of original student-written and student-performed dance and sound designs. These are the final projects of the Performance Project class, which has been collaborating with students from Costume Design and Design Studio. Some projects are strict, solo dance pieces. Others investigate social issues such as queer domestic violence. Another one explores the number three.
Many projects, including those of Heather Teige '07 and Elly Jessop '08, include video components. Teige's project (at the moment) follows the lives of three people in a non-linear fashion and "is slightly more poetic than regular film." Jessop's project "addresses the lives of perfectionists and the inner voices that can drive or destroy them."
So this semester, go to the theater, get some culture and support your classmates and the Theater & Dance department.