The Grappler Fall 2023 / Early Winter 2024

THE GRAPPLER

FALL 2023 / EARLY WINTER 2024

TABLE OF CONTENTS A Note from the Editors Camille Pugliese and Liz Bazzoli

Creating Against Capitalism: Theatre and Its Immaterial Value Katherine Shuert Finding Solutions in a National Theatre?

Emily Townley Censorship in Schools and Why Proper Access to Theatre Matters Samantha Scott Invincible Theatre: Exodus & The Empty Space Willa Colleary Mole Hill Stories: I Believe in TYA Liz Bazzoli When Theatre Makes Music Camille Pugliese Seagull Artemis Westover

FALL 2023 / EARLY WINTER 2024

A NOTE FROM YOUR EDITORS CAMILLE PUGLIESE AND LIZ BAZZOLI

Hello Grapplers!

We are back to our regularly scheduled programming. We were blown away by the outpouring of support for our Prague Edition, our first publication using ISSUU! Thank you so much for your support during this transition.

Writing for The Grappler looked a little different this quarter. We met three times from September to November. In our first meeting we gathered everyone together for a brainstorming and pitching session. From there, writers who wished to continue their pieces spent the next month writing and showed up at our second meeting to workshop their pieces. This consisted of writers reading their pieces aloud and the group giving our support ad notes. In our final meeting, we had one last round of edits, and of course a celebration of the work that everyone put in throughout fall quarter.

It was important to us as editors that we begin to hone our collective voice. We wanted our writers to find what makes them most passionate, what they want to explore within a few parameters we set. They generated ideas based on the how they feel being a conservatory student in this moment where the industry is facing many unknowns. We were met with a response that shows resilience, passion, and joy.

The last three pieces of this issue are coverage of TTS productions-- Mole Hill Stories, The Royale, and Seagull. This is part of a colleague criticism initiative began by current editor Liz Bazzoli and former editor Leah Geisler (‘23) in early 2022. It is important to engage with the work that is happening at our university in a way that is productive for all involved. As dramaturgs, part of our curriculum is dramatic criticism but outside of class, we did not have a formal place to practice writing outside of class. We are excited to share and are ready to embrace any dialogue that follows!

CREATING AGAINST CAPITALISM: THEATRE AND ITS IMMATERIAL VALUE

BY KATHERINE SHUERT

I spend a lot of time musing on my idea of

I see a lot of people who share my desire for

an American theatrical utopia. I am

a more widespread cultural interest in

constantly facing theatre as it is in its

American theatre. Of course, most of them

current state and am often at odds with it.

are my peers and, while that is great, it

So then, as a young student in a

would be even better if non-theatre-people

conservatory, I am constantly poked and

did too. At large, America has a problem

prodded to provide an image of my ideal,

with valuing art. The arts are the first

the theatre world I want to create. Well, if I

programs cut in schools, artistic careers

had it my way, America would have a

aren’t exactly encouraged socially, and the

national theatre that I would work for,

government doesn’t like to fund the arts

people (especially non-theatre people)

because they are not as useful to the

would care about it, and I would retire with

military as STEM.

a government pension. Also, everyone would have the theatrical equivalent of a

That’s the other thing, I’m very happy with

Letterboxd account.

the area of study I’ve chosen for myself. I can’t say many of the adults in my life share

I want theatre to be important to America’s cultural identity.

Important enough for the everyday person to write some little review of their own into an app to share with friends, important enough for people to go see more than just whatever hot Broadway musical is touring through their city that year, maybe even important enough for specific government support outside of the National Endowment for the Arts. I know I can’t force people to care, but I really wish I could.

that joy.

I like to think of my friend who studied abroad in Ireland. When she told some locals she was studying theatre, they were happy for her, excited. Then they would engage her in conversations about the plays they liked and had most recently seen. That’s the first time I’ve heard of that happening. It sounded almost like a fairy tale. That has never happened to me. I always get that look, the one that rides the line of disappointment and pity.

Still, Americans love artists. We are very

So, what can theatre do for the American

individualistic that way. It’s why we love

public if it doesn't produce a tangible

Hollywood. We love movie stars, big-shot

product? What contribution can it make to

directors, and globally famous musicians

the American cultural identity if its

featuring on soundtracks. That’s another

impressions are so fleeting?

issue though; we inevitably become more interested in the artist than in their art.

It is not very economical, but still, it holds

Being famous becomes the job, forget

value. Those fleeting impressions mean

acting, directing, or modeling on the side.

something to people. It means more than another digit on a check.

We buy their movies, their merchandise, and follow their every waking moment

I am so desperate for those brief moments

through paparazzi photos and social

in time. I don’t think I need to explain what

media. We demand our fix, demand a small

it means for people, or what it does for

piece of ownership in their very existence.

them; I don’t think I could do that justice. I

Celebrities become commodities, another

look around and I see chronic boredom,

thing to own. That’s the other thing about

constant burnout, and devastations

Americans, we love to own things.

ranging from intensely personal to global. I am not so much of an idealist that I think

America is intensely capitalistic. It’s a fact of

theatre solves any of these, but enough of

life that success in the U.S. means having

one to believe that it helps.

something to sell with high profit margins and low production costs, using someone

My theatrical utopia is not defined by its

else’s money whenever possible. This is all

ability to decrease the national debt, prop

in the effort of protecting your capital,

up the economy, or otherwise fill the

increasing your wealth, and owning the

pockets of the 1%. It is not stifled by rising

nicest, newest, shiniest things to show off

ticket prices and soulless commerciality. It’s

to your friends and family.

where theatre, being so immaterial, is finally valued and supported in this

Theatre so rarely fits that model.

materialistic place I call home.

Theatre is hard to buy and hard to sell. It’s

KATHERINE SHUERT (SHE/HER) IS A

ephemeral in nature. Even as a theatre

BFA 2 DRAMATURGY AND DRAMATIC

maker myself, I can only possess a play in

CRITICISM MAJOR FROM LOMBARD,

memory. I could buy a ticket, the script,

ILLINOIS.

maybe even a copy of the pro-shot (if one even exists), but I can never physically own what theatre sells. When it comes down to it, I think that’s why so many people don’t care. Distilled to its center, plays are just limited moments in time.

FINDING SOLUTIONS IN A NATIONAL THEATRE?

BY EMILY TOWNLEY

"WE FULLY RECOGNIZE THAT NO GOVERNMENT CAN CALL ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE INTO EXISTENCE…NOR SHOULD ANY GOVERNMENT SEEK TO RESTRICT THE FREEDOM OF THE ARTIST TO PURSUE HIS OWN GOALS IN HIS OWN WAY." - LYNDON B. JOHNSON The state-run theatre.

Knock, knock, here comes the federal government! Congress effectively

On paper, it sounds like a solution to

terminated the project after a House

problems the modern theatre landscape

Committee on Unamerican Activities

faces. At least, one that I hear brought up in

investigation found the project a little too

classrooms at The Theatre School.

leftist for their liking. Because theatre turns

No more fights over creative control with

people communist, or whatever. What the

the board of trustees, a somewhat more

government gives, the government can

stable source of income, and so on and so

take away.

forth. A utopia where the government sponsors theatre all across the nation. Call

More well-known today is the National

me skeptical, but I can’t help but wonder if

Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Established

something like a state-run theatre is

by the LBJ administration, the NEA not only

feasible in the United States. Or if a state-

provides funding for nonprofit theatres, but

run theatre is a solution to the models we

other theatre projects as well. Because it is

have in place currently.

the National Endowment for the Arts, it also funds other artistic endeavors, such as

First, let us look at previous attempts in

translation projects, research grants, etc,

American history at a state-run theatre. A

etc. As it is a government entity, funding for

prominent example is the Federal Theatre

the NEA fluctuates, as does support for it.

Project (FTP). During the Great Depression,

Ronald Reagan famously tried to abolish it

the Roosevelt administration created the

when he was elected president. A string of

FTP through the ongoing Works Progress

controversial projects in the ‘80s and ‘90s,

Administration (WPA), which sought to

though not exactly related to theatre, gave

reduce unemployment. Its aim was to

more reason for those opposed to the NEA

employ theatre artists who were affected

to call for its removal. Though the House of

by the Depression, as well as keep theaters

Representatives recently voted against

an essential part of everyday lives after the

cutting NEA funding by 10%, our theatres

end of the project. The project yielded

should not be held hostage on the political

successful results, funding theatre projects

battleground.

across the United States throughout the Great Depression.

It took over three weeks for a Speaker of

And, for what it’s worth, Germany is a great

the House to be elected after Kevin

example. I hear you. However, each country

McCarthy was ousted. If the government

functions separately, and as such, arts (and

can’t even run itself, then I have little faith

theatre funding in particular) work

in it running the arts efficiently.

differently than in the United States. But, sure, let’s take a look at the way other

The way government functions in the US

countries do it. In Poland, whose cultural

also convolutes matters related to even the

minister removed museum directors he

possibility of a state-run theatre. The United

found too liberal, a director was dismissed

States is a federal republic, and while

from the Warsaw Dramatic Theatre due to

federal law trumps state law, those powers

her “support of the LGBT agenda”. In a

are written out in the constitution. While

chilling statement, the provincial governor

there is a federal budget, states also have

said that the director had “not taken into

their own budgets. If there were a state-run

account the expectations of the organizer

theatre, would the power go to the federal

of the hiring process, the city of Warsaw”.

government or the states? Would each

That’s just one country, though. Fine. Let’s

state manage its own theatre budget, or

look at others then. Russia, Iran, Belarus…I

would that go to the federal government?

can go on.

If the case is “leave it to the states”, then the inequitable practices we see in theatre

I don’t want to claim that if the United

today (ie. lack of quality, lack of access)

States chooses to run a federal theatre

would still appear due to different states

program or have state-run theatre, then it’ll

enacting different budgets for theatre. As

turn into a totalitarian state like Iran or

The Who song goes, “meet the new boss,

Russia. Even for a theatre student, this

same as the old boss.”

seems a little dramatic. What I am concerned about, however, is how openly

In order for there to be any form of a “state-

those are willing to accept the state-run

run” theatre, there would need to be a

theatre as an alternative. The slippery slope

complete overhaul of the way our entire

to censorship and propaganda that can,

country functions. A little drastic, yes, but

and does, happen as a result of a state-run

when looking at all the components:

theatre is inevitable. When looking at the

federalism, the state of our government,

past and the present, I can’t help but be

and the way our country simply functions, I

wary of the government having access and

don’t see any other way. I also don’t see a

control over the way we do arts.

world where people would be willing to sacrifice and change how America works

Is what we have now ideal? No. Is the state-

for a new, artistic, theatrical identity.

run theatre the only other option? Also no.

But wait, I hear you say, why can’t we just try Germany’s theatre model? They are a

EMILY TOWNLEY (SHE/HER) IS A BFA4

federal republic, like the United States, and

DRAMATURGY & DRAMATIC CRITICISM

they have over 100 state/city/county

MAJOR FROM THE DC AREA.

theaters nationwide. Over two billion euros (both from state and municipal funds) went into funding theatre and music.

CENSORSHIP IN SCHOOLS AND WHY PROPER ACCESS TO THEATRE MATTERS

BY SAMANTHA SCOTT

I am a long-time lover of the arts,

This moment came at the end of our play

particularly theatre. From a young age, I

in dedication to and remembrance of all

have witnessed firsthand how vital it is for

the victims who, like Annie, escaped, and to

sensitive and marginalized stories to be

the many others who are unable. The

told within our communities.

photos and story itself were deemed “not age appropriate”.

Five years ago, during my freshman year of high school, my theatre company

After a week of PTA meetings and school

produced an evening of one-acts, where

board voting to see if we would have to

one show in particular was almost shut

close the show after opening night, we

down due to our school district's

agreed to pixelate every photo of evidence

disapproval of the themes being

and real-life injuries of the victims in the

performed. The target of the backlash was

play to make it more “enjoyable” to watch.

“My Name Is...”, written by a local playwright and retired district attorney

The fact is that the lessons we can learn

from my county, David Norum. He shares

from theatre, the stories we keep alive in

the story of Annie, a 20-year-long domestic

our retellings of these works, and the sense

violence survivor. He interviewed women

of community and safety many of our

who knew the victim, other victims of the

productions give to the audience are

perpetrator, and others who worked on the

something that cannot be dismissed or

case. Norum compiled these stories into a

censored. Although this was five years ago,

30-minute short play of intertwining

now more than ever we are seeing

monologues retelling the story of Annie's

increased censorship and productions we

escape and life during her isolation and

cannot perform.

continuous abuse.

It’s been three years since the pandemic With such a powerful story, why was the

began and it's not a secret that theatre is

school board so adamant about shutting it

still facing many challenges exacerbated by

down? They argued the show's tentative

the world shutting down.

closure was due to the showing of actual photos and records from the police report.

Theatres across the country continue to

Without proper representation, along with

face economic challenges including lack of

the suppression of ideas and artistic

attendance, issues with non-profit business

expression, we will lose valuable examples

models, and a lack of government funding,

of individuality. If we move towards

all while trying to keep their doors open to

conformity, we could potentially lose the

the public. In addition to these problems,

arts as we know them. Banning and

the recent book bans, political strife,

limiting access to stories and perspectives

and censorship in classrooms has been

that are often erased is a step backward in

taking a significant toll on the shows and

history and will cause great harm to the

resources available for youth to perform

artists of the future.

and learn about in the education system.

If you want to learn more about the current Sexuality and race are targets in the

crisis of censorship in the arts, research our

widespread book and curriculum bans

individual and group rights as artists. Some

happening across the nation. We are now

organizations advocate for support and

seeing a stark parallel in the shows school

even provide legal assistance to school

boards have been prohibiting. Almost all

districts or theatrical groups that are

the shows that have been prohibited

facing immediate threats to their freedom

contain content pertaining to the LGBTQ+

of expression.

community, mental health issues, language, or questions regarding gender

Some great organizations to look into are

and racial disparities.

the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) who “Promote freedom of thought

A few shows to note that have been

and inquiry and oppose censorship. When

banned in some school districts across the

controversy occurs, [they] encourage and

country for these themes are The Laramie

facilitate dialogue between divergent

Project by Moises Kaufman, The 25th

voices and perspectives, including those

Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by

that have historically been silenced.” The

Rachel Sheinkin, Indecent by Paula Vogel,

Foundation for Individual Rights and

and even James and the Giant Peach by

Expression (FIRE) “Defend[s] the individual

Timothy Allen McDonald.

rights of all Americans to think and live freely. These rights include freedom of

These bans and restrictions pose a threat to

speech, freedom of association, due

young students wanting to learn more

process, legal equality, religious liberty, and

about characters with whom they identify.

sanctity of conscience — the most essential

It destroys the space where they can feel

qualities of liberty”.

secure in their own identity and prevents students from exploring their own stories.

It is essential to create productions that

Censoring these stories affects how they

share these stories and bring awareness to

can see their own experience represented.

erasure and its detrimental effects. By continuing to produce and put on shows

SAMANTHA SCOTT (SHE/HER) IS A BFA 1 DRAMATURGY & DRAMATIC CRITICISM MAJOR FROM PISMO BEACH, CALIFORNIA

that spread awareness, we can actively keep these stories, their purpose, and their legacies alive.

INVINCIBLE THEATRE: EXODUS & THE EMPTY SPACE

BY WILLA COLLEARY

Last year, in the midst of Intro to Theater Studies, I fell hard for the idea of smallaudience theater. I was particularly fond of an anecdote about actor and writer Wallace Shawn, who performed his solo piece The Fever in the apartments of whoever paid him. I thought of him walking down cold New York avenues, catching the train, trudging up staircases, knowing an entire show was walking with him.

THE ENSEMBLE AT “THE CASITAS,” WHERE IVANOV WAS CONCEIVED AND DEVELOPED, SEPTEMBER 2020. PHOTO BY GRACIE MEIER

Hypnotized by this example of immersion, I wondered how it could be used to rebuke

Driving through the architecture of their

the idea that theater is dying. I continued

spaces with tempo and verve, the group

to search for images of theater this way, at

invites a select number and engages them

its barest and most personal.

in degrees of participation. “What you think about theater, and what you know about

I heard about Exodus Ensemble through a

yourself as the audience, could be turned

friend two months ago, and my mind

upside down,” writes Daisy Geoffrey of

flamed with amazement. Made up of

Southwest Contemporary. “There’s no

thirteen TTS alums set adrift by COVID and

curtain to divide your reality from

enamored with each others’ shared

performance—it’s just you and a paradigm-

language and creative palette, Exodus

shifting… production.”

Ensemble began when artistic director April Cleveland & company shacked up in a

In my internet-skating I slipped through a

property called The Casitas in Santa Fe, NM,

deluge of vivid details: Exodus warns

and set about crafting “wild, original,

against minors’ participation, is known to

immersive” productions for small

briefly blindfold audience members

audiences. These shows– in repertory to

(consensually, of course), and only releases

this day– range from their “high-octane”

performance addresses after tickets have

modern take on Chekhov’s IVANOV to a

been reserved. My interest remained at an

cultic riff on the Biblical BATHSHEBA story.

insatiable high.

In October I finally emailed Exodus and

Some just want the experience again–

they put me in contact with Gracie Meier,

others are intrigued by what different cast

their creative director and a former DePaul

configurations look like. “Actors could know

Theater Management BFA. Meier’s work is

between one to four roles for each show,”

vastly interdisciplinary; they are a

They explained. Meier herself knows both

formidable theater photographer and arts

the roles of Anna Petrovina and Borkin for

administrator, and have devised and

IVANOV.

performed various roles in Exodus productions.

Exodus shows are limited to an audience of 10-20. I asked Meier about the part a small

During our interview, Meier regaled me

audience plays. “It lets us do more

with the fascinating and turbulent plight of

complicated things,” They said. “It lets us be

Exodus from her perspective; their phoenix-

with audience members through their own

from-the-ash rise following COVID lay-offs,

emotional journey.” She elaborated that

the constant re-location of their living

instead of performing for an anonymous

quarters/rehearsal space/performance

crowd of people having separate, private

venue (from unreliable AirBnBs to an

reactions, Exodus actors are in it with their

empty 7500 square foot mansion); their

audience– they are constantly assessing

run-ins with unstable landlords,

audience needs and adjusting accordingly.

threatening neighbors, and their many

There is care and trust present at all times.

spontaneous connections with donors and superfans; The CEO of arts installation org

We discussed the challenge Exodus (and

Meow Wolf and Game of Thrones author

theater in general) faces, not just as a

George R.R. Martin among them.

competitor with other companies, but with other forms of entertainment, as well. “We

Though the practicality of their pay-what-

asked ourselves, in this attention economy,

you-will model and shifting living quarters

how do we make theater bingeable?” Meier

seemed precarious to me at first, it’s clear

asked. And again– it’s the inherently

that support for Exodus came out of the

theatrical qualities that give Exodus an

woodwork as soon as they announced their

advantage. She articulated that lost in a big

arrival on the Santa Fe scene. Meier painted

audience, someone could wonder, “Is this

a picture of a city with a strong

for me?” Whereas with Exodus, audiences

undercurrent of cultural appreciation, and

are so personally involved they must

an immediate affinity to the group. “We

conclude “There is no question that this is

have homies,” They told me. “People come

for me.”

back all the time… they want to show their friends what they found.” She emphasized

From my perspective, Exodus’s success is

returning audience members as a

due to its beautifully simple objective. They

cornerstone of their evolving company

aren’t trying to fill Neiderlander-sized

presence.

theaters, they are attempting to tell stories that feel personal and electric. Stories that require our presence, our action, and our actual selves. It is exactly the theatricality, the intimacy of Exodus that, in turn, sustains support from the community.

Small-audience theater is attacked on

Exodus Ensemble is a stellar response to

account of its impracticality, on charges of

this principle, leaning into theaters’ natural

being either bogusly expensive for its

qualities instead of attempting to do away

patrons or unprofitable for its artists; but

with them and ultimately coming out the

Exodus manages. Operating on a pay-

other side with something more engaging

what-you-will model, Meier explained how

and frankly, more special than anything

the company sees both tiny and huge

else you can do with a Friday night. Any

donations and those that can’t donate feel

company that embraces a small audience

galvanized to help in other ways, even if

as integral– not obligatory– to their work,

just by spreading the word. The variety of

unites with Brooks’ simple and invincible

their patrons’ support keeps the company

definition of theater. I say “invincible”,

thriving.

because as long as there are empty spaces, people, and the desire to engage in the

I would argue that a stronger bias against

mimetic pleasures, theater lives on.

small-audience theater is not in regard to its impracticality. All theater is pretty much

I would even go so far as to say that the

impractical– let’s face it. The discrete attack,

idea that theater is dying is not just

the attack-beneath-the-attack, is that

incorrect, it’s insulting. It misunderstands

small-audience theater is small; you can’t

what theater is and where it thrives, and

upload it on Spotify to a million streams or

supposes that because the work can’t be

watch it blow up on Netflix. To us that

distributed en masse, on a virtual platform,

dream of sold-out crowds, or imagine a

the work is unsuccessful.

sheer quantity of attention in our darkest capitalist wishes, a performance of small-

Theater is thriving everywhere. In Santa Fe

audience theater cannot qualify as

hideaways, in studio spaces and apartment

“successful”.

buildings. Perhaps we shouldn’t presume to see everything going on in the world, or

The question this poses: Is visibility, the

underestimate the power of meaningful

favoritism of mass distribution, the true test

connections made between ten, five, or two

of “success” for a piece of art?

people.

Just because it’s available on our iPhones, just because everyone can see it, is it “successful”? In my mind, being a theater artist means challenging agreed-upon definitions of this word.

Acclaimed theater director Peter Brook writes, “I can take any empty space and call it a bare stage. A man walks across the empty space, whilst someone else is watching him, and this is all that is needed for an act of theater to be engaged.”

WILLA COLLEARY (SHE/HER) IS A BFA 2 PLAYWRIGHT

THEATRE SCHOOL PRODUCTION COVERAGE MOLE HILL STORIES: I BELIEVE IN TYA

BY LIZ BAZZOLI

Why do all our productions need to be so

An assortment of massive, colorful flowers

depressing?

adorns the proscenium arch, complimented by a beautiful stained glass

I’ve heard my peers express this

motif. Projections and lighting make the

dissatisfaction with The Theatre School

world glow, capturing both the intensity of

many times over my past four years here.

a mid-day sun and the soft glow of a full

Coming out of the pandemic, students

moon. The costume designers even

want to work on shows that promote joy

capture Ehlert’s trademark bold, geometric

and lighten spirits. I understand the

style in patterned jumpsuits and large

impulse, but part of me balks at the notion

animal headpieces taken directly from her

that a compelling work of theatre can be

illustrations. The beautiful world that this

devoid of strife or struggle. Does drama not

play creates imbues its animal characters

require emotional hardship? It’s this bias

and their otherwise mundane routines—

that holds me back from seeing shows for

moles digging tunnels, birds collecting

young audiences.

seeds, foxes rolling in the grass—with grace and majesty.

Maybe it’s time I open my mind to new possibilities. Mole Hill Stories, by Alvaro Saar

But Mole Hill is more than just spectacle.

Rios, the first show of the 2023-2024 season,

Each of the stories in this play resonates

proves the strength of a joyful play.

beyond just their whimsy or aesthetic

Mole Hill Stories is an adaptation and

appeal. The play begins with the character

combination of three different books by

Fox who wants to dig a path from the lake

children’s author and illustrator Lois Ehlert:

that will give everybody access to water.

Mole’s Hill: A Woodland Tale, Cuckoo/Cucú:

But a molehill stands in his way. Failing to

A Mexican Folktale, and Moon Rope/Un

recognize that this molehill is Topo/Mole’s

Lazo a La Luna. Mole Hill Stories is a loving

home, Fox demands that she move it or he

homage to Ehlert, which I felt foremost in

will tear it down himself. She responds by

how the play looks. Respect for nature is

digging a tunnel underground so that the

central to all of Ehlert’s work, and this

water can travel beneath the hill instead of

production’s design highlights the beauty

through it. “Mi casa es tú casa,” she tells Fox.

of the flora and fauna in these stories.

After that, Fox makes up with Topo, and

Though some characters speak exclusively

the forest celebrates in what is only one of

in Spanish, and Topo herself sometimes

several song and dance sequences in the

acts as a translator for characters, the play

play. This story is an example of the value of

nonetheless prioritizes English in a way that

empathy and collaboration, but I also see

does not seem to create a completely

the specific conflict of one animal refusing

equitable experience across languages.

to recognize another’s use of the land. That feels even more substantial, especially

Yet Mole Hill compensates for this with a

considering that these stories draw

third language-- movement. The energy

inspiration from Mayan, Incan, and Seneca

and grace that the actors put into their

folk tales.

characters are lively. This is the most evident in the moments where actors are

The story of Cucú, a bird who is judged for

recreating the movement and rhythm of

his fixation on personal beauty and love for

the natural world: rising flames, breezes in

performing, echoes the dynamic between

the trees, and the rush of a river. Even the

Mole and Fox. Owl, who directs the birds in

smallest leaf or blade of grass receives due

seed harvesting, sees Cucú as a distraction

care and respect and has a moment to

but Cucú’s singing and dancing builds

shine.

team morale and keeps the work moving, which culminates in another musical

A play for young audiences requires strong

number that feels reminiscent of labor and

and creative physicality—this show even

folk musical practices. Once again, the story

more so with its depiction of non-human

encourages the audience to respect and

characters—and Mole Hill succeeds at that.

appreciate others’ differences but also

If anything, I wish there were more

emphasizes community solidarity against

moments built around dancing or

external, divisive pressures.

choreographed movement since these communicated just as much as, if not more

For all the ways that Mole Hill Stories does

than, either of the spoken languages.

honor Lois Ehlert and a sense of community strength, I do think there is one

I was surprised to hear at the post-show

component that could have been stronger

discussion that the playwright did not

and that is the incorporation of Spanish

originally consider these stories as having

alongside English. The program note

any moral or message. Mole Hill Stories is

emphasizes the play’s bilingualism—

only about forty minutes long, but it uses

“bilingualism was at the heart of this

its time well. The show is charming and

production,” it reads—as do marketing

smart. It dared me to be optimistic and

materials. Spanish is certainly a

reminded me that the theatre is a space for

fundamental component of the play, and

community-building. Why shouldn’t we

English-speaking and Spanish-speaking

strive to envision a better world on the

characters occupy the stories together, but

stage? Why shouldn’t we relish in even just

the play does not fully operate in both

forty minutes of happiness? I was there,

languages, as is the case in many of Ehlert’s

and I felt it. That is success enough.

books, including both Cuckoo/Cucú and Un Lazo a Luna.

LIZ BAZZOLI (HE/THEY) IS A BFA4 DRAMATURGY & DRAMATIC CRITICISM MAJOR FROM CLEVELAND, OHIO

WHEN THEATRE MAKES MUSIC

BY CAMILLE PUGLIESE

Boom. Clap. Punch.

What troubled me was how overt the

“We’re making music, boy” Jay “The Sport”

themes became. The ensemble delivered

Jackson laughs. The rhythm of The Theatre

many of the strong social and political

School’s production of The Royale by Marco

messages directly to the audience rather

Ramirez is undeniable– it’s like music.

than to another person on stage. It was Brechtian in style, and I have questions

Boxing is at the center of the story,

whether or not the play needed this kind of

following Jay Jackson on his journey to

direction to be successful. It created a

become the first black heavyweight

distance between the actors and their

champion of the world while fighting Jim

characters which, for me, hindered the

Crow-era prejudice. The fights in the play

possibility of an emotional connection to

are highly stylized. They’re performed with

them.

both opponents facing the audience with punches aimed at the air directly in front of

When the play delivers its final blow, the

them, not at each other. Rhythm and

death of Jay's young and hopeful sparring

sound layer on top of the fight; a punch

partner, Fish, I didn’t feel the impact that

was matched with a boom in the sound

the story demands. His death was the

design and a clap from all of the company

result of racialized violence after Jay defeats

members onstage. Claps, booms, and

his white opponent. I want to believe an

punches became more rapid as the fight

audience is capable of understanding the

intensified, but they held strong to the

breadth of this tragedy without being

rhythm they established. The idea that

punched in the face.

boxing is like jazz comes up several times throughout the play. When punches were

There were moments where the play did

perfectly synchronized, the play began to

sing, though they weren’t until more than

feel like it was making its own jazz,

halfway through. The story felt clearest in

syncopated and delightful.

Jay’s sister Nina, played by Eva Jerkins (MFA 2) and Joshuah Mayo’s (BFA 3) portrayal of

I connected to how the play made music,

Wynton, Jay’s trainer. These characters did

but I struggled to find a connection to how

the most work of contextualizing the world

the play created meaning. The Royale is as

the play takes place in. I still can’t stop

much about boxing as it is about the social

thinking about the powerful monologue

context of the time period– I learned later

Mayo’s Wynton delivered about the Royale

that the play takes place between 1905 and

fights of his generation. These were

1910, though there was nothing in the

amateur boxing matches where they’d

program or in the play itself to tell the

blindfold young black men and put them

audience. Jay Jackson has to fight a system

in a boxing ring to fight until only one man

that is built for him to fail. Ramirez shows

was left standing. Mayo was able to capture

this through the looming presence of his

the layers of nuance effortlessly. I was

white manager, Max, who doubles as an

hooked on every line. I saw his pain, his fear,

announcer. This character forces the

his regret, and his resilience. It was a

audience to question the racist system Jay

reminder of the progress he’s seen

is fighting.

throughout his life, but the scars will never go away.

Nina’s character took on the heavy-lifting.

Music, to me, is most successful when all of

She comes to Jay hours before the fight

its parts work on their own, but create

and interrogates the question of whether

something almost magical when they’re

or not being the first black heavyweight

brought together. In that sense, The Royale

champion of the world is worth it. She

was like making music– it brought rhythm,

forewarns of the horror that would be

sound, and speech together to create

unleashed if Jay won.

something transformational. At its best moments, that’s exactly what this play did.

Her lines during the final fight are haunting: “In Memphis, somebody’s loading a pistol / Kansas City, a man couldn’t take it no more… he’s walkin out, barefoot, to get a rope from his tool shed /

CAMILLE PUGLIESE (SHE/HER) IS A BFA 4 DRAMATURGY & DRAMATIC CRITICISM MAJOR FROM MIDDLETOWN, NEW JERSEY

Somewhere close, there’s a nervous hand flirting with the grip of a knife.” She delivers them between Jay as he fights his invisible opponent and the audience– a moment that fought against naturalism and won.

SEAGULL

BY ARTEMIS WESTOVER

If a theatre is producing The Seagull in

The furniture, built elements, and costumes

2023 then I would like to leave the theatre

blended in well, creating a focused but not

knowing why.

too specific late-eighteen-hundreds-ness that was beautiful but not distracting.

Why this play? Why here? Why now?

Constantine and Yakov busied themselves setting up the stage by the lake as the

These questions have reached a level of

audience entered the house, rowdy for a

ubiquity at The Theatre School that can

Wednesday night. The lights dim as they

become a punchline. It is easy to forget

always do, and the play begins.

how essential they are. I liked Seagull. It was funny and pretty and a perfectly

I have always found Constantine’s play to

pleasant night out at the theatre. But I

be a puzzle when considering how to

can’t help but feel like I wanted more. I

present it to a modern audience. Famously

wanted to know why, in 2023, was The

he declares that the theatre must have

Theatre School producing The Seagull?

new forms and he rails against the “high priests of art in that room with three walls

My first impressions of the stage were

showing us how people eat, drink, and

beautiful. The set was framed by a forest of

wear their jackets”. Chekhov’s work, and the

canvas trees, and the soft sunset light on

work of his frequent collaborator

the backdrop made the world look like a

Konstantin Stanislavsky, were radical new

watercolor painting. The play maintained

forms of their time. Now naturalism is the

these dreamy visuals throughout.

foundation on which contemporary theatre is built.

At the same time, so much has changed

I attended on a night when the audience

about the way form is used in theatre that

was vocal, and many moments that could

it makes creating Constantine's play a

play sad or intense received laughter, or

challenge to stage. It should feel new(ish)

loud ooohs, like a crowd at a sketch show.

to the audience, without being too out-

At intermission I chatted with some fellow

there that it becomes comical.

students who describe the play as “camp” and “soap-opera-y” and while I didn't totally

Corrin's production presented the play

agree, I found it interesting that The

within a play as half childlike shadow

Seagull was the play eliciting this response.

puppet show and half a somewhat

That is not to say I wouldn't love to see a

standard monologue that breaks the fourth

campy, soaped-up interpretation of The

wall when Nina, looking like a somewhat

Seagull, but that is simply not what this

alien bridal figure with a white dress,

production was. This production was a very

flowers, and a gold halo-crown, walks

good production of The Seagull, the

through the on-stage audience. This

performances were good, the visuals were

surprises the other characters, such as Irina,

pretty, and the audience enjoyed

who exclaims “don’t make eye contact!”

themselves both times I saw it, but that

But for modern theatergoers, this move is

was all.

known. Contemporary theatre has not yet done away with the fourth wall, but it has

Let us return to those questions:

made it into something closer to a beaded

Why this play? Why here? Why now?

curtain, a barrier no doubt, but an extremely permeable one mostly just

This production did not answer any of

placed there to gesture at separation. The

these questions. It was missing a take.

play doesn't have the impact I wanted. It

There are so many questions I have about

doesn't feel new. Yes, Constantine is an

this text. What compels these people to

immature artist who hasn't yet found his

stay in an environment that makes them so

voice, but he is on to something. Or he

unhappy? Their houses, their careers, their

should be, this production doesn't make

spouses, and their lovers, all make them

me so sure.

unhappy and yet something compels them to stay. I have wanted so badly to know for

We quickly meet our ensemble. A strange

so long what that is. As a dramaturg, I know

bunch of Russian landowners, their staff,

that it is always a challenge to make sure

and a few others who frequently hang

that the questions discussed in the

around. A doctor, Yevgeny, who cares for

rehearsal room make it out onto the stage,

the aging matriarch Ulyana, a

but there is a feeling when a show knows

schoolteacher, Semyon, who seems to

itself. Dean Corrin’s Seagull was a good

spend lots of time pining for Masha and

production, but it didn't know itself like I

moping about his meager salary, and Boris

wish it had.

Trigorin, the star novelist from Moscow, staying at the country estate as Irina

ARTEMIS WESTOVER (THEY/THEM) IS

Arkadina’s lover and status symbol. None of

A BFA 4 DRAMATURGY & DRAMATIC

these are easy roles, long and complicated

CRITICISM MAJOR

Russian names, and the occasional muddiness of translation provides a host of stumbling points that were taken in stride by all parties.

Special thanks to: Rachel Shteir, Supervising Editor Martine Kei Green-Rogers, Dean of The Theatre School