A Note from the Editors
LeeAnne Nakamura and Katherine Shuert
The Folded Map Project at Rivendell– Chicago Theater, not just Theater in Chicago.
Eva Strazek
Good and Bad Behavior in the Audience
Katherine Shuert
Thoughts on Great Gatsby Theatrical Adaptations
Kateleen Quiles
The Imperfect Art and The Starving Artist
Katherine Shuert
LeeAnne Nakamura
Katherine Shuert
Katherine Shuert
LEEANNE NAKAMURA AND KATHERINE SHUERT
To our patiently awaiting writers, readers, and followers,
The Grappler is back for a special end of year edition!
Over the 2024-2025 academic year, The Theatre School kicked off its Centennial Celebration in January. The Grappler joined the festivities during spring quarter as several writers had the opportunity to visit the Richardson Library’s Special Collections to complete archival work, looking into the first 100 years of TTS This culminated in a live event at Playwright Central during Wrights of Spring, where our writers shared their discoveries about The Theatre School’s one hundred year history If you were able to join us for this event, we hope you enjoyed this retrospective on The Theatre School’s first 100 years.
Partially in conjunction with the Centennial, the theme of this year’s season was “Who were we Who are we know Who will we be” While our writers pitched their articles, we cannot help but think about how this theme also runs through their work. From first meeting pitches to the fully realized ideas, our writers looked at what’s currently being produced here in Chicago and around the country, covering development histories and next steps for these productions The variety of theatrical and dance productions our writers covered makes us excited to see how these performances impact their approaches and understandings of a piece in their future work.
We also cannot help but think of this past season’s theme in reflection with The Grappler as we reflect on this past year and look ahead
During our respective freshmen years, we joined The Grappler looking for a place to write about our interests and how they intersected with theatre. As contributors, we learned the 101s of Grappler, from first meeting pitches to group feedback sessions And, with the editors before us running different quarterly series, we not only participated in additional writing opportunities, but witnessed how The Grappler continuously evolves.
At the end of our first year as co-editors of The Grappler, we balanced our previous experiences with the conditions our group of writers faced this year. While carrying on several traditions, we also explored how The Grappler can continue evolving to best meet our writers’ needs Learning by trial and error, we kept moving forward and found our way here
LeeAnne: In the words of The Amazing Karnak, from this year’s production of Ride the Cyclone, “And now you’re probably wondering what happens next that, I possibly couldn’t tell you” As I finish my time as one of The Grappler’s co-editors, as well as a student at The Theatre School, I know I will carry the skills I learned here into my future endeavours. In graduating this year, I am also thrilled to announce Eva Strazek as The Grappler’s newest co-editor I look forward to what’s in store for The Grappler and what next year’s team creates!
Katherine: In this past academic year, the season’s theme of who we were, who we are, and who will we be has weighed heavy on my mind. Aligning with my junior year I found myself investigating the same questions “Who have I been? Who am I now? Who do I want to be?” In a serendipitous act, the season’s theme, my coursework, and personal wonderings melded together to foster a year of reflection and consideration for the future Writing about theatre - the art my peers make, the shows I see around the city, and the kind of art that keeps me up night, that inspires me - is what has been helping me start to answer those questions. As I bid this year farewell, I want to welcome a new season of questions, whatever they may be I also want to welcome my new Co-Editor Eva Strazek, her passion and drive are a constant inspiration to me and I cannot wait to work with her in this role
BY EVA STRAZEK
Every morning, five days a week and forty weeks a year, Tonika Johnson took the 50 bus north on Damen Avenue to her high school, Lane Tech Prep, from her neighborhood of Englewood– a trip that didn’t even require a transfer Peering out the window as the sun rose, she watched a map fill out an urban landscape growing and developing as she got further and further from the neighborhood she was born and raised in
Several years later, after graduating from Columbia College with a degree in photography, Johnson [unintentionally] laid the groundwork for an expansive, multi-disciplinary movement– combining photography, activism, and real and raw conversations about segregation in the city of Chicago With a camera in hand, Johnson decided to “fold the map ” of Chicago, finding addresses that correspond to each other on the North and South sides of the city and photographing them in tandem As Johnson started to share the pictures in exhibits, her work began to inspire not only native Chicagoans, but those in other classically segregated cities to fold their own map, explore neighborhoods off of their beaten path, and have those hard conversations about why most US cities look the way that they look
One day, while photographing a group of Northside addresses, Johnson was questioned by a bystander on what she was doing, so she explained When the woman showed interest in Johnson’s project, Johnson offered to interview her, and from then on her reach expanded into other realms and languages besides purely photographic
Johnson and interested observers were able to grow roots throughout the city to bring “map twins” together, and have honest conversations about the tangible impacts of Chicago’s inequity.
Now, the roots of The Folded Map Project have expanded into the theatrical realm, with an ensemble of devisors at Rivendell Theater company primed and ready to take Johnson’s vision to the stage and engage Chicagoans with their community at large Brit Cooper-Robinson, the current Head of Community Engagement at Rivendell, says that she was fascinated with the project early on when it was still purely photographic, and she was an early career artist “I said to (Johnson)” CooperRobinson says, “this should be a play And she says– wait– other people have said this to me, can you help me with it”
In 2019, a theatrical form of Johnson’s exhibit was offered a slot at Encounter, a two-week winter festival of theater, dance, and spoken word curated around the themes of equity and inclusion, taking place at The University of Chicago The two worked with other artists to write an early prototype, which was a smashing success
In the meantime, Cooper-Robinson began work at Rivendell, a company known for doing socially charged work that often tours all over the country– such as Women at War, a touring production about female veterans, curated and directed by Tara Mallen, the founder and Artistic Director at Rivendell
As a community engagement manager, Cooper-Robinson connects the material Rivendell showcases onstage and tangible efforts by the theatre company to actively better the community it is working with and within The team has been working together with Quenna Barrett, a Chicagoian director and social activist, who Cooper-Robinson says has mastered the art of devising
“She genuinely understands it, (devising), which, interestingly– we’ve found a lot of people don’t. Unfortunately, it’s not kind of quite a well-used muscle. Not a lot of people get to do it, and most people don’t. So having her at the helm was extremely beneficial.”
As of right now, the project is in the works, being devised in Rivendell’s rehearsal room Cooper-Robinsons says that it is fascinating, to see something she’d watched for so long, and observed as an entirely different art form, grow into something that manifests into a full-scale performance
The devising process has gotten off to an extensive start Hours and hours are spent reading transcripts of the Map twin interviews, talking to Johnson and Map twins who were willing to speak live– then, improvising scenes and stage pictures based on what stood out to them in their readings, and starting to dive into personal anecdotes and writings from the cast and crew
The material they are working with hits home for the majority of the ensemble in all sorts of different ways, due to the nature of this country and its successful attempts at dividing racial communities all over the nation
As the artists continue to explore the worlds inside of the media that Johnson curated, Cooper-Robinson and the ensemble at Rivendell make sure to keep their intentions with the project centered around Johnson, and her original intentions with the project
“You know, it was coming into the 2016 election when Chicago’s name was in everybody’s mouth,” Cooper-Robinson says, recalling the early days of Johnson’s photo exhibits “Like a lot of us, Tonika was so fed up with it She was saying: ‘Stop saying we are Chi-raq Stop saying we are a war zone Stop lying on my home’ So that was the impetus to do something, for her”
With a devised, documentary style and process, the ensemble at Rivendell Theater is working tirelessly to serve Tonika Johnson’s original purpose when she decided to take her first set of photos In the coming year, The Folded Map Project™ will continue to devise and showcase its unique elements throughout the process
“We want her (Johnson)’s biography to be the through line” Says Cooper-Robinson
“There’s all kinds of exciting discussion all around that. Like is it Teenager Tonika on the Western bus telling us this story? Is it her at different ages? You know, which parts are we highlighting?”
“That’s a lot of what we’ll start tackling in January The goal is for this to be the kind of ensemble piece where the actors come and go, and we can break it into pieces– so we can have ten minutes in a classroom– or if we ’ re touring eventually, we can just throw it up in a bar We can do it wherever”
When I learned about this project during my Civic Dramaturgy class in the Fall Quarter, I felt a deep interest and attachment immediately I am especially interested in Urban planning and development and sociology, and it contextualized the segregation I witnessed in both Chicago and my hometown of Cleveland, OH The project is impactful and meaningful and can be a force of real, material change in major cities across the US
The Folded Map ™ team will reconvene in January, with a year of brainstorming and showcasing their process ahead It’s Chicago theater at its core
“Theater is so intrinsic to this city, in the same way, so many other things are, like comedy, or music,” says Cooper-Robinson. “So, It would be such a disservice to Chicago and also to Folded Map ™ , if there were not a theatrical version of her (Johnson)’s work”
EVA STRAZEK (SHE/HER) IS A BFA3 DRAMATURGY & DRAMATIC CRITICISM MAJOR FROM LAKEWOOD, OHIO
To learn more about Tonika Johnson’s Work and the story of The Folded Map Project here: https://wwwfoldedmapprojectcom/
BY KATHERINE SHUERT
Theatre involves a specific communion between artist and viewer. In no other form is there such an intimate and physically realized form of contact between creator and consumer than in live performance.
Like any religious service, a group enters where each party holds onto their individual expectations of experience (something inspiring, something awakening, something joyful, something healing) spurred by the actions of the speaker, or, in theatre’s case, the artist This relationship, which is so carefully studied, so upheld as a defining feature of theatre, and so enamoring in its effect, has been a constant source of wonder and curiosity in my own writing It teeters on the border of obsession
In my most recent adventures to the theatre, I have not thought very much about the dynamic of this relationship Instead, I’ve found myself distracted Rather than fixated by the passings between myself and the performers, I am instead lost inside the examination of another dynamic I have neglected in my consideration of the theatrical experienceother audience members
They are like me, and also not like me That is to say, while they are not me, and have different lives, interests, experiences, and values and will almost certainly have different reactions to the same performance than me, we are in the same position We both sit in the house as viewers
We go to the theatre to experience a connection with the artists - not each other In spite of this, our connection is inevitable, and we each impact each other’s experience by our mere presence What occurs between audience members is forceful and colors the experience of the art being presented
I find my fellow audience members to be something of an annoyance I imagine they think of me the same way (if they think of me at all) The person sitting in front of me is always too tall, the person behind whispers constantly to their neighbor, during the intermission the party seated to my right enjoys vapid and uninteresting conversation distracting me from my serious and interesting thoughts on the play In the past, I have prided myself on caring very little about these minimal irritations The couple who is seated late nearby, causing the whole row to stand in the middle of the first scene, is inconsequential in the grand scheme They likely had a good reason to be late, or not, regardless, it shouldn’t matter to me But it does
I do not mean to suggest that I am the perfect audience member and that, should everyone behave as I do, we would have more perfect theatrical experiences I am instead fixated on how I have tried to diminish the impact that the audience has on my experience, as if the fact that I am in a room full of people is coincidental
Theatre is rarely made for an audience of one. It is not just some economic necessity that fills a theatre with rows and rows of seats
I am beginning to feel that this communion between myself and my fellow audience members is just as sacred as that between myself and the artists.
Only it is one that is less considered and less treasured
At the ballet this past weekend I had a great seat. From my spot in the house, I would have had a near perfect view of the stage, far enough away to take in the whole picture, close enough to capture the dancers’ expressions Then, a teenage boy, a head taller than anyone else in the theatre, sat in the seat directly in front of mine So, I spent the entirety of the ensuing performance watching the dancing from either side of his head, jockeying for the optimal view, undoubtedly setting off a chain reaction of slight irritations to those seated behind me
When the evening at the ballet came to an end, I was enraged by the hoards of people leaving before the final curtain call I found them classless, disrespectful, and completely ridiculous I can understand the impulse to try and beat the masses, for no one enjoys an overcrowded lobby bottlenecked to too few doors I empathize with the anxiety of navigating a crowded parking garage, for I also despise driving in tight spaces (or driving anywhere at all). I too share the desire to make the earliest train possible, because once that curtain finally falls I want nothing more than the freedom from my heels and the comfort of my bed
Yet, I cannot imagine anything other than a truly emergent circumstance which would cause me to, after two and half hours of viewing and the precious money spent on my ticket, decide that the additional two minutes spent on applause is such an unimaginable sacrifice to snub the artists of their respects. These were world class dancers, they put their bodies on the line so that people may enjoy a pleasant evening They are deserving of the slight inconvenience to say thank you
There are times and places for proper behavior. The theatre can be, and often is, a venue for a rather expansive definition of “proper” Depending on the circumstance, a wide array of reactions is acceptable The theatre can be a place for quiet contemplation or rowdy hollering I have never known it, however, to be the venue for couples to engage in overly intimate displays of affection in the first row of a fifty seat theatre (this of course did not stop them this past weekend either)
At a musical in the same weekend, I noted an amusing pre-show announcement embedded into the opening monologue that outlined strict instructions about which armrest was considered yours versus your neighbor’s The Amazing Karnak from Ride the Cyclone carefully outlined that the right armrest was mine and left armrest was my neighbors While this information was not applicable to my actual seating arrangement (as each audience member was equipped with a full set of armrests), it reminded me once again of the subtle connections that I share with these strangers Even these most mundane and asinine interactions, like the struggle for the territory of the left armrest, should be uplifted as a distinct feature of the artform I love
Theatre necessitates the connection of flesh It needs more than one living body to share a space together
I too often fixate on the meetings between performer and audience, but I now realize that the meetings between viewers is also a part of what makes theatre a living and breathing artform.
A hundred strangers in a room, coming from all different places, to leave afterwards for varied destinations, share in something. They share in something in spite of the annoyance they cause each other In spite of the aggravation of interaction with the public, we leave the comfort of our couches and the safety of our locked doors to open ourselves up, not just to art, but to each other Even in the smallest ways.
A musical, like the one from the aforementioned viewing, begs for the audiences’ outpour of energy. It is something the performers need, it feeds them A musical with a silent audience is just as awkward and stifling as a concert with an audience that refuses shouts or applause My comfort or discomfort to engage in such audible displays are impacted by the willingness of those around me to do the same
Similarly, my willingness must impact their comfort to do the same All of this in turn, affects the energy the performers receive from us, affecting the resulting performance Perhaps if I were more comfortable around strangers, more willing to engage with the audience to which I belong, I’d get a better show.
When I consider it for a bit longer, the women complaining about their husbands’ inadequacies at household tasks during the intermission are not mere annoyances to be put up with. They remind me that not everyone comes to the theatre for the same reasons I do, but they still come to enjoy it all the same If I take the time to consider more than his inconvenient stature, the tall teenage boy reminds me of how special it was for someone to take me to the ballet when I was young, and reminds me how grateful I am that someone had If I can force myself beyond the initial discomfort of brushing elbows with the great unknown, I can find small, but nonetheless beautiful, communions like the ones I look for on stage. These people are not me, but they are like me What we share is a worthy obsession
KATHERINE SHUERT (SHE/HER) IS A BFA 3 DRAMATURGY AND DRAMATIC CRITICISM MAJOR FROM LOMBARD, IL
BY KATELEEN QUILES
The recurring thought of F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby never often crossed my mind after Junior year of high school Until I saw the Broadway World headline on The Great Gatsby: A New Musical starring Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada Immediately, I raved at the thought of two Broadway legends coming together and blessing the stage with their beautiful voices With Jeremy Jordan's star performances as Jack Kelly in Newsies and Eva Noblezada’s breathtaking vocals as Eurydice in Hadestown, I hoped this new musical would showcase the height of their talent
The Great Gatsby is a novel with several complex themes unveiling narratives on the “roaring twenties” and fragmented perceptions of the American Dream This historical and widely acclaimed novel becomes adapted into a Broadway Musical and the first thought that many young theater fans, such as myself, draw to are the two starring actors My pressing questions: Is this Gatsby adaptation critically needed in Broadway’s season this year, or is it another adaptation with a wow-factor to draw in audience revenue? Is it the rendition of The Great Gatsby that deserves the most fame?
Entering the year 2021, The Great Gatsby became public domain, allowing for different adaptations and renditions to be produced widely.
Many artists find historical parallels between the 1920s and the 2020s, drawing inspiration to produce adaptations Most strikingly, the global COVID-19 pandemic and the Spanish Flu
The Great Gatsby: A New Musical contains book written by Kait Kerrigan and Lyrics and Music by Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen Additionally, the musical stars Noah J Ricketts (Nick Caraway) and Samantha Pauly (Jordan Baker) This musical rendition of Gatsby went on to receive a large number of awards and nominations including Tony Award 2024 for Best Costume Design in a Musical The musical, since its broadway debut in March 2024, has grossed around $34,843,175 in box office sales
Gatsby The Musical has become a wide sensation through popular songs such as “Roaring On” Promotional rehearsal clips were posted of the cast singing this catchy tune, which is my personal favorite from the soundtrack The official soundtrack was released in June of 2024, sharing the production's original songs to the public
With the talented voices of Jeremy Jordan, Eva Noblezada, Samantha Pauly, and Noah J Ricketts, the soundtrack highlights the skill of their vocal ability It’s almost impossible to get the sensation “New Money” out of your mind through its catchy tune and Samantha Pauly’s impressive vocal ability There is no doubt that this cast is talented and dynamic
I would like to clarify that although I haven’t seen the actual musical production of The Great Gatsby yet, a large amount of promotional photography, performance clips on news shows, and soundtrack unveil the aesthetic priority in the delivery of the Gatsby musical With its substantial awards in costume and set design, the production delivers its specialization in spectacle
This analysis does lead me to believe that this rendition prioritizes the “glitz” and “glamor” of the roaring twenties As Sara Holdren, theater reviewer and critic at Vulture, puts it: “ his Gatsby feels like it belongs on a cruise or in a theme park A century on, retellers of his story, like his hordes of party guests, remain distracted by the spectacle” It simply cannot be said better It almost reminds me of students who read the novel in an American literature class and don’t pay attention to the social themes veiled underneath the Gatsby’s parties. Possibly one of the most important layers about these parties is that Jay Gatsby flaunts his membership of high society, while hiding underneath the hollowness of his life without Daisy.
When adaptations of a renowned piece of cultural work are produced, there is an opportunity to offer different perspectives on a pre-existing art piece.
The Great Gatsby: A New Musical is NOT the first theatrical adaptation of The Great Gatsby out there. Yet, because of its Broadway credit and grab, it is the one that we hear about the most today Some wonderful examples I’d like to draw your attention to are Gatz (2012) and The Great Gatsby: The Immersive Show (2015)
Gatz is a theatrical rendition of The Great Gatsby that performs a reading of the novel word-for-word Gatz was adapted by the theater ensemble group, Elevator Repair Service An eight-hour production, the story follows a bored office worker who unknowingly, picks up a copy of The Great Gatsby and begins reading it aloud. Slowly, his office co-workers join in as the story transforms into an immersion to the world of The Great Gatsby.
The eight hour production consists of dinner breaks with the breakdown looking like this: Chapters 1, 2, 3 for 2 hours; 15 minute break; chapters 4 and 5 for 1 hour and 15 minutes; dinner break; chapter 6 and a part of 7 for 1 hour and 30 minutes; 15 minute break; and end of chapter 7, 8, and 9 for an hour and 30 minutes.
Although it sounds like a punishment, this concept of a novel re-enactment pushed boundaries in the accepted theatrical customs, drawing in large numbers of curious audience-members. The creativity and brilliance of Gatz ran again this past November at the Newman Theater in NYC
The Great Gatsby: The Immersive Show is another unique look into how audienceperformer dynamics are challenged. The Gatsby Immersive Show began its run in London 2015 with the Gatsby story set in a prohibition-era drugstore, beginning with a man addressing the audience about a memory he had of an invitation delivery Following that, the world, characters, and story of The Great Gatsby break loose in an audience-interactive retelling
In an interview with the producer, Brian Hook, he states that “About 20% of the dialogue is improvised with the audience If they follow certain characters and win their trust, they’re given tasks, notes to pass on or choose not to but they have the ability to challenge and to influence who knows what, to raise and lower the stakes” The core and plot of The Great Gatsby remains the same in this production, but the immersive delivery style excites the minds of audience members and performers, keeping the story fresh and exciting every show
This adaptation of The Great Gatsby has become London’s longest running immersive show, running for seven years and moving on to other international versions being produced.
The list of other The Great Gatsby Theatrical adaptations goes on, honoring and exploring this timeless, historic tale of Jay Gatsby that is integral to the American Identity Different productions focus on different performance aspects and delivery. While jarringly this Broadway adaptation seems to have a primary focus on spectacle and Broadway talent, some audience members have a preference for flaunty musical productions like that Others don’t have the stamina to sit down and pay attention to a live-novel re-enactment for 8 hours To each their own The Broadway Gatsby Musical just adds another layer of commentary as we go back and assess this story: what important, jarring parts can we take away? What remains prevalent in our modern society, and what can that reflect on America’s history? The art of theatrical production allows us to re-envision complexities of a story that would not have been possible through just reading a novel
KATELEEN QUILES (SHE/HER) IS A BFA1 THEATRE ARTS & JOURNALISM DOUBLE MAJOR FROM MIAMI, FLORIDA
BY KATHERINE SHUERT
“ALL TRUE ARTISTS, WHETHER THEY KNOW IT OR NOT, CREATE FROM A PLACE OF NO-MIND, FROM INNER STILLNESS.”
James McNeill Whistler
James McNeill Whistler, an American painter active during the nineteenth century, used music-based naming conventions to title his works He christened them symphonies, nocturnes, and arrangements. He believed music the more perfect art because, unlike his mimetic paintings, music attempted no imitation. By his logic then, theatre is the least perfect of the arts
Theatre aims to create something of life Its artists imagine themselves gods, build their world, and impose a heavy hand over their dominion. They levy their own laws while imitating or rejecting those of nature They are doomed to fail. Artists are not gods. Theatre can only achieve recreation It is humanity reaching beyond its humanness
Aristotle distinguishes three types or levels of soul that gain complexity with its accompanying lifeform: the nutritive soul (attributed to plants, the least complex life form) allows for the ability to persist and grow; the sensitive soul (or animal soul) incorporates the additional power of perception; finally, the rational soul is what separates humanity from these other forms of life
It is the rational soul that is behind humanity’s ability to think and reason, but of greater importance, why humanity creates
Loving something is finding a piece of humanity in it, extending to it a piece of our soul. Making art is a passionate act. Making art is soul giving.
Theatre is a desperate search for those pieces of soul, so generously given away, so difficult to discover again
Before emotion or thought, there is a sensation, a sense of greatness, something nearly beyond human and entirely human all the same It feels like discovering a new hole in your chest and feeling it filled, like coming up for air after holding your breath, like waking up after never realizing you’ve been asleep It strikes lightning through your whole body then leaves you just as soon, wanting more without knowing how to get it It is soul recognizing soul
These soul meetings, these great communions, that sustain artists It is food, it is water. But these are rare feasts. We are all starving.
Theatre artists are fated to starve
I am so hungry That empty hole has been so seldom filled. Perhaps the cliche of the “starving artist” never referred to money, but to this This emptiness stirs, it rages beneath my heart and above my womb.
It is nothing trying to make itself something, a continual caving in of imagined barriers.
This hunger warps me Most attempts, from myself and others, to sate this cruel appetite fail miserably I am at art’s mercy Yet there are memories of satisfaction, the sweet taste of soul communions, that sustain me through famine.
Robert Lepage’s The Tragedy of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark:
From the back of the house, I watched Ophelia, in a momentous death scene Traditionally played offstage, her tragic drowning was no longer hidden from audience view Her body was suspended in a thin sheet of pale blue, the silhouettes of muscles rippling through to swallow her whole as the obscured ensemble manipulated her body from behind the great swath of blue fabric. Drowning is always a descent, but in this version her death took her in the direction of the heavens The simplicity of the sheet was sublime, a display of the ingenuity of theatre
Alexander Ekman’s Midsummer Night’s Dream:
This production of Midsummer is organized chaos from start to finish Not to be confused with the beloved Shakespearean comedy, Ekman’s ballet follows the experience of The Dreamer during the Swedish summer solstice festival. Act one follows The Dreamer through the festivities, then act two carries him into his dreamland, where the audience must follow. In this dreamscape, I felt as if I’d been transported into a Dalí painting Objects and dancers flew across the stage at mass speed, leaving me little time to consider their meaning or beauty (or lack of either)
Then a change. A triple pas de deux - in canon, three couples journey across the stage, finding themselves in each other’s embrace Striped away was the chaos and maximalism and absurdity of what came before I was left with a subtle impression of intimacy Quiet I was no longer held captive in a lawless and feverish dream, but fully present in a brief moment where flesh gently met flesh, like the union of two souls destined for love
Chicago Shakespeare Theatre’s Richard III (2024):
The cast of Richard turned the theater into a classroom, lecturing in the art of violence onstage Soon they had me trained in how to expect the play’s vicious deeds;
in silhouette or obscured by crafty angles and punctuated by spurts of blood and shrilling screams So, towards the end of the play, I waited in silent and anxious anticipation as the assassin sent to kill two young princes disappeared behind a curtain I imagined a gruesome scene The princes, played by puppets, had potential for a variety of torture They might have been ripped apart, their limbs tangled and disfigured, their parts strewn about So, I waited, muscles tense and eyes fixed for the shadow of a slash or the silhouette of a stab yet remained deprived after nothing but silence and stillness After what might have been mere seconds which that stagnant stage stretched into years, the assassin emerged alone covered in blood Never had so much nothing caused so much fear
Last winter, I performed a solo a dear friend had choreographed for me It was an intimate and loving act She crafted every moment with my body and my soul in mind She fashioned each step to suit my strengths and to push me physically All the while, I was unaware of the threads of love she was weaving through it, the story she was writing for me
As I performed it for the last time, I reached the end and realized I had begun crying I looked into the audience, searching for the origin of my tears Instead, all I found was the piece of me she saw in that piece, the piece of her soul she gifted it, the piece of mine I met it with In a piece about being left behind, in a moment of my life when I was so alone, she spoke to me in a place that words cannot reach In that spiritual and artistic communion, she let me know that there, in my loneliness, she was with me
I know what it means to be full When I dance, there are no words to distract me from the sensations in my body When I otherwise feel splintered between body, mind, and soul, dance makes me feel whole I am one with myself I am everything and nothing Billy Elliot, a young and fictional dancer whose story was preached to me time and time again by dance teachers past described dancing like this, “Sort of feels good Sort of stiff and that, but once I get going then I forget everything, and I sort of disappear” There comes a point, as performer or viewer, when the art takes over Rather than being in it or seeing it, you become of it, you belong to it Amidst the fabrications of art, this real feeling is conjured
BY KATHERINE SHUERT
“Wait Wait Wait WAIT WAIT!” screams the woman all in black After the entire world disappears behind a single door, after all the life and light and energy and spirit of that place rushes into that black hole of house, her head peaks through a slight opening and she urges “Wait”
Photo Credit: Joris-Jan Bos
IMPASSE, a short dance piece by Johan Inger, follows a main trio of characters who are embraced and seduced by two increasingly flashy and exciting groups of performers in a series of three loose scenes It investigates the strenuous paradox between the vibrance and strength found in embedding oneself in community and the loss of their individual distinctions and sense of self that comes with joining the horde
The “ new ” has immense power in this piece, absorbing whatever came before it
The set is largely bare, a clean and impressionable slate All that exists is the slight outline of a house in white light, the door of it barely visible as the rest of the structure is camouflaged by an all encompassing black For a moment, this world is only 2D Then, the door opens, and a woman emerges in a simple dress of light green
Her initial solo veers between genres She experiments trying to find something that feels comfortable, that feels right Yet whether her quality be fast or slow, rigid or smooth, sophisticated or simple, there is a dissatisfaction She runs circles around the stage, searching, but never finding
Two men enter from the same discreet door, each in a shirt of blue or red They too try out different movements and sequences. While the trio spends much of their time in simultaneous isolation, working through their own series of steps, there are moments when they follow after each other, mimicking another’s movements, parroting each other in canon Like toddlers making foam block towers, they stack new ideas, hoping for something to stand Many times, however, their towers tumble and their bodies consequently fall as well It is in these moments that a language between them is established
The two men dance in unison while the woman continues dancing on her own
The connection between the two men spurs them into raucous laughter
However, this union, this understanding between the two men is not one the woman can join She does not fit in it In time however, each dancer builds their own unique connection to the others, illustrating how their dynamics change depending on how they are paired
These brief bouts of unity between them, sometimes two at a time or all three together, make three distinct dynamics apparent for each of them:
who they are when they are alone, who they are in each respective pairing, and who they are in the group.
In this first scene, the players illustrate individual and group journey’s of self discovery They attempt to find themselves, sometimes leaning on each other for guidance The insecurity of their movement speaks to the insecurity of their identities It is only when dancing together that they begin to find some stability They cannot discover who they are alone They learn from each other to learn about themselves
New additions to the cast disturb the trio’s investigations, shaking the slight foundations of understanding they had come to know Coming out in increasing numbers, dancers in black burst through the same door bringing with them an energizing spirit that throws the original three dancers into a whole different world
They, in their own mix of unisons and stand out solos, deliver a new flavor of movement alongside brassy up-tempo horns They are flaming hot The original three watch them in awe
But these dancers in black are enticing and soon the original three are drawn into their ranks, taking on this choreography and leaving behind the patterns and motifs of their own breakthroughs in the first scene. It is all too easy to miss the parts of themselves that melt away in the fray of the fun
Then, like a kind plug pulled from a full bath, the door swings open and all the dancers, including the original three, rush inside the house, the door slamming behind them with apparent finality That is, until the woman in black pokes her head out to use a muscle often neglected in dance – the voice “Wait” she says, before disappearing behind the once again closed door Again, she emerges “Wait”, a bit louder and more stern, then gone once more She repeats this routine, gaining volume and intensity with each pass, culminating in a great yelling command “WAIT!” The ensemble explodes out of the house with the original three dancers now joining them in their signature black
Now absorbed in the group, the entire ensemble dances together in a final rendition of the fiery and thrilling big band dance The three are now a part of something and, as joyous and as exhilarating seeing the grandiosity of this large group move together is, they are now harder to pick out They get lost
And so, the house becomes smaller
Here is the trap, the awful dual reality of finding a place in the world In the act of joining, there is something gained and another thing sacrificed As the stirring horns fade, the original three dancers return to their experiments
The dancers in black replace the previous house by one identical in every facet but size, now noticeably smaller With it, the size of the stage shrinks too, the lights tightening in on a reduced playing space Their community has grown, but their world has shrunk.
Soon an even newer and even more intoxicating group comes through the door. Dressed in vibrant colors and ruffles, a kind of carnival appears There are clowns, a showgirl, and other alluring performers. The members of this circuslike troop take on the ensemble dressed in black who are so quickly drawn in by the various arousing dances of this group. They are seduced and the stage erupts into chaos The rest of the ensemble now converted, dawning hand-me-down costume pieces to aid in their transformation, joins in a moment of fierce uniform action, culminating in a sudden freeze.
The woman, once in green, breaks the stillness, stepping out of line She calls to her original companions
“David?”
“What?”
“Something.”
No sooner does she utter that singular word than an even smaller version of the house is thrust into David’s hands
The trio examines it and sets it down before the world behind them awakens, threatening to pull them away from the last shred of who they were.
A menacing curtain begins to lower on this final scene. Every dancer rushes forward in a desperate attempt to break away, only to fall and be dragged back by their fellow performers
The original trio eventually tear themselves away, the woman crawling through the gap of the curtain and stage just before it closes The three of them are now left alone with their shrunken home, and the piece ends. How is one meant to imagine them after the lights go down? Swayed each time by the new, intoxicated by the unknown, only to be left with a dollhouse-sized remnant of the world they knew Perhaps it is their last remaining piece of innocence Experience at the cost of purity.
So what of the woman yelling “Wait!”? What was to be waited for? As each new splendor made its way into the trio’s world, they were caught up in each new encounter Completely enthralled, perhaps just waiting for the next amazing thing to find them They lose quite a bit of agency in their own story, morphing to fit the world changing around them, rather than taking an active hand in the changing itself For the trio, waiting for each new experience only granted the illusion of progression. In truth, their passivity stole from them the opportunity of invention
Like the woman in black, the world may say to wait, and it may be just as compelling in its command The trio may now know more, but are left with no room to explore themselves
BY LEEANNE NAKAMURA
Marisha Chamberlain’s adaptation of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and directed by Carolyn Hoerdemann, presents the story of the March sisters like a scrapbook, emphasizing the moments and events that define Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth’s sisterhood, rather than their day-today lives Bonding, fights, grief, and love, each experience finds its way into this story as it does in most sister or sibling relationships
The play opens with the March sisters preparing for their family’s Christmas celebration, with the sisters discussing what they bought for their mother, Marmee, using their Christmas dollar and rehearsing a play This first scene establishes the four sisters’ dynamics, along with their individual nature We watch as Jo leads the play she wrote, expecting only the best from her sisters’ and their performances, Meg comforts her sisters when conflict arises, Beth plays the piano due to her bashfulness around others, and Amy begrudgingly follows the others’ lead After performing their play for Marmee, the March’s neighbors, Old Mr Laurence, Laurie, and Brooke, surprise the family by delivering Christmas supper after Marmee brings their meal to another family in need
A pattern then establishes itself for the remainder of the play as the sisters quarrel over problems large and small, such as Amy burning Jo’s book of stories to who can accept an invitation to the theatre, the Laurences stop by to offer gifts and comfort, and the sisters work through their differences by trying to understand each other’s perspective.
Unlike many audience members, I was not familiar with the source material I certainly knew of the March sisters, but never read the book or watched any of its film adaptations While this did not affect my understanding of Little Women’ s story, I felt like I missed the chance to really know the characters Due to this adaptation focusing on the defining moments of the March sisters’ lives, the quieter moments of life were overlooked, when the sisters could go about their daily lives, without working towards an immediate goal While this adaptation featured moments of character development, namely for Jo and Amy, the lack of build-up to a change in attitude left me dissatisfied Character growth was presented like a two-sided argument, the sisters do not understand each other and fight or they do and work together
This production’s hour and a half runtime meant disagreements were quickly settled or a character rarely had time to reflect on their past mistakes before making amends
Perhaps because I often find my way into a story through the characters, watching the March sisters grow up in a way that only accounts for linear development, excluding the missteps that can also shape how a person views the world, left me wishing the nuances of each sister were further explored
Despite my yearning to learn more about each March sister, this production excelled in realistically depicting life with siblings based on the various dynamics Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy share with each other From fights and (empty) promises of never forgiving one ’ s sister, to becoming fiercely protective of each other, the March sisters portray the resilience of this type of bond I experienced a sense of nostalgia when watching the March sisters’ interactions
While on-stage, I watched the March sisters attempt to stage a Christmas performance in the 1860s
But in my head, I saw reflections of my older sister and I playing school in the mid-2000s, with my sister pretending to be the school teacher and I, begrudgingly, playing the student since I simply wanted to spend time with her. And perhaps, this is where the production’s strength lies Not in retelling the complete story of Little Women, but reminding audience members of the role older and/or younger siblings play in shaping who we grow up to become
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, adapted by Marisha Chamberlain, and directed by Carolyn Hoerdemann presents the story of Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy March as they encounter the joys and challenges of sisterhood, or siblinghood, touching on a universal experience that transcends its 19th century setting With this abridged adaptation, the audience tends to follow the March sisters in moments when they are all present, sparing little time for individual or side character development In doing so, this production serves as a proper introduction to Little Women while motivating new fans, like myself, to read Alcott’s novel to dive deeper into the world of the March sisters
LEEANNE NAKAMURA (SHE/HER) IS A BFA4 DRAMATURGY & DRAMATIC CRITICISM MAJOR FROM LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA
What if this fairytale did not end with happily-ever-after?
In a cross-hatched and grayscale world, a heroine in black, where all is dark and gothic, the team behind All’s Well That Ends Well has made its dark fairytale. The design for the production, inspired by the work of Edward Gorey, aims to aesthetically support a kind of antifairytale telling of All’s Well without sacrificing any of the expected whimsy All’s Well That Ends Well directed by Nicole Riccardi, immediately transports the audience into a darker than typical storybook-type land
The costumes design from Zach Grasee and Sophie Uno and set design from Devin Meseke were a constant delight Beatrice’s sullen and dark wardrobe offered a fresh take on the visual expectations for a romance heroine Still in petticoats and puff sleeves, now in nocturn shades of black, Beatrice appears completely at home in the storybook proportioned world of high arches and paned windows
Beyond an excellent execution in establishing this dark storybook-like visual universe, this rendition of All’s Well presents a strong interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s so-called “problem plays” Moving away from Bertram’s more traditional class-based rejection of Beatrice, this production brings the subtextual and textual subtleties surrounding Bertram’s sexuality to the forefront of the play, providing higher stakes and a more compelling reasoning for his rejection of the heroine Helena
BY KATHERINE SHUERT
This directorial choice intensifies the tension in Helena’s pursuit of Bertram, as she chases a man who not so simply does not love her but cannot love her Instead, Bertram loves the liar Parolles, and how they choose to deal with their feelings for each other becomes the impetus for much of the action in this production’s second act The introduction (or rather revealing) of this love triangle suits the production and provides a welcome rise in the stakes of the play’s action
While this interpretation was certainly commendable and exciting, the pointed and clear decision to elevate Bertram and Parolles’ romance to the foreground in act one was lacking in the more meandering act two The idea that Bertram’s pursuit of Diana is a kind of revenge in lovers’ squabble between him and Parolles gets lost in the many schemes and plans present in the second act While all characters in this portion of the play are pawns in each other’s games, the lovers plot between Bertram and Parolles, which seemed so primary in the first half, becomes secondary to other plots as the play goes on In a boxing match for the audience’s attention, their romance and eventual fallout loses to Helena’s and the Dumaine brother’s trickery
Still, it is hard to be too critical when the ensemble stealing the show is such an asset to the production Unhindered by their purposefully dreary and gray-scale world, the ensemble shines vibrantly
Each character, central to the story or not, provides their own distinct texture to this production, making each scene truly enjoyable The ensemble carries the comedy of this production, keeping the play’s moments of laughter and silliness alive and well through such a dark take on this fairytale While this production had many successes, the work of the general ensemble deserves particular distinction
As the play nears its end, it is clear that there is no such thing as “happily-everafter” Our heroine, Helena, ends the play united through deception and trickery with a husband who can never love her
Once a groundbreaking figure in Shakespeare’s oeuvre for how she, despite her position (as a lower-class woman) takes hold of life, her future, and her sexuality, she now seems only to serve as a reminder that this is no fairytale at all She plays second fiddle in a romance that is no longer hers Her desire fades into the background as her quest for love is turned into something ill-fated Her mission in act two feels desperate and futile because all her scheming and plotting is for nothing, as she chases a man who will never truly love her Rather than her fairytale prince, she gets a hollow shell of what she had hoped for, and she had to deceive and plot for even that much This production’s Helena then is no fairytale heroine at all, but an embodiment of the show’s message - not all ends well after all
LOMBARD, IL
BY EVA STRAZEK
Ike Holter’s Lottery Day contemplates a burning question: Who in America gets to have access to a home? Not a material home– a wooden cabin, a brick building, four stone walls– but a place to call home A community
Lottery Day is the final installment in Holter’s “ Rightlynd Saga”- a seven-play series set in a fictional neighborhood on Chicago’s near West side Throughout the cycle, Holter shines a spotlight on teachers, government officials, arts professionals, and countless other strong personalities that light up Rightlynd’s bustling blocks The show tells an important story to a large audience of Chicago transplants, depicting the line between moving to and embracing a community, and intruding on and inadvertently erasing, centuries of history
I know the cycle of gentrification well– I’ve lived in the same house for twenty-one years, watching the neighborhood around me shift from a community of workingclass Clevelanders and refugee families to a trendy hotspot with cocktail lounges, coffee shops, and transplants from bigger cities and wealthier suburbs The show struck me as a victim of gentrification, but also as an inadvertent perpetrator a Chicago transplant DePaul was the guiding force in the gentrification of Lincoln Park, which was once a workingclass Puerto-Rican community and is now a playground for wealthy, white millennials
I am a white DePaul student– though I relate to the characters in Lottery Day through the lens of class, I will never be able to fully comprehend the racial impacts and implications of gentrification, or the experiences unique to those born and raised in Chicago
Holter follows in the footsteps of the late great August Wilson, whose own multiplay cycle is set in the predominantly Black Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania The Wilson cycle explores the suppression and struggle of Black Americans throughout the 20th century, culminating in a play entitled Radio Golf, set in 1997, in which the first black mayor of Pittsburgh vows to revive the Hill district, but questions his mission when he realizes he may be contributing to massive gentrification efforts Lottery Day explores a similar story, centering around one predominantly Black and Brown area, and how it grows and changes as time marches on Unlike Wilson’s series, Holter's seven-play saga takes place over a decade (2009-2019) as opposed to a century The shorter time span allows him to zero in on the 2010s – a paramount decade for African Americans, the working class, queer people, and other marginalized voices In a single decade, we saw the housing market crash, the first Black president elected, the passing of Overfell v Hodges, and the rise of Donald Trump Holter's intimate and realistic dialogue is representative, in every conversation, every conflict, every simple interaction between characters, of something larger–the systemic and structural forces that loom over us while we watch helplessly, devoid of any control
Holter’s characters, many of them queer people of color, are impacted by the the great pendulum swings of the 2010s The political, social, and economic climate informs everything in Holter’s theatrical world. Even the smallest aspects of setting, character, and plot are distinctly influenced by the vast and rapid political change occurring when the show takes place Instead of mirroring the past, Holter has his characters live through history, depicting the influence centuries of history has on these characters
Lottery Day is set at a backyard party hosted by Mallory, the de facto matriarch of the Rightlynd neighborhood Mallory notes that her house is the only one left on the block that has not been demolished and reconstructed, and she intends to let the new neighbors know who’s in charge She decides to gather all of her local friends together for a special, fictitious “holiday” party with lots of music, booze, pot, and barbecue meat Yet, an undercurrent of uneasiness and fear permeates the moments before the event This “holiday” seems to be bigger and more controversial than any of the guests could have anticipated Simultaneously, Vivien, Mallory’s high-rise dwelling neighbor, expresses a fragile mental state and her disdain for Mallory’s “explosive” backyard parties She warns Mallory before guests arrive that “Lottery Day” may just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back
After all the guests settle in, Mallory announces that every guest is invited– no, required to participate in a series of challenges where one will win a large sum of money Here, we see the first fracture in a once inseparable group Holter uses the device of a competition to show a tightknit community driven to dog-eat-dog individualism
The partygoers cannot outrun values bred by Western, white capitalism– the same values that promote forces like gentrification It is not lost on me that Ricky, the only white character in the show, wins the first competition, unknowingly aided by the labor of Robinson, a Black character Holter’s characterizations, as opposed to Wilson’s, are rooted in idiosyncratic behaviors and characteristics While Wilson’s characters stand more as symbols that represent Black personhood in a specific decade, Holter breathes new life into the cyclical machine by creating dynamic, raw, and real personalities that light up the stage
I was most interested in the conflict between Vivien (Alejandra Tamez) and Mallory (Chelsea Russell)-- deeming them an unstoppable force meets an immovable object Both women are psychologically fragile and deeply manipulative, with both actresses embodying emotional peaks and valleys flawlessly Yet, as I watched the women bicker, I couldn't help realizing an ocean existed between them Vivien grew up in an upper-middle-class family, out in the suburbs, and works for a predatory development company She moves into Mallory's neighborhood, where she did not grow up or even visit, makes no effort to connect with any members of the community, and then imposes her own set of rules onto Mallory, feeling entitled to every detail about her personal life and traumatic past Vivien decides to place her roots down at the site of Mallory's greatest tragedy, and proceeds to impose on her one emotional outlet As Mallory deals with post-traumatic stress disorder, grief, and depression, she is pushed away, abandoned by her community by the end of the show
While everyone else is allowed to feel those big, intense, messy emotions when dealing with trauma and grief, Black women are expected to hold it in and stay strong, focus on uplifting their community, and process everything on their own It is a major failure on the part of both men and non- Black women With Mallory as a vessel, Holter illuminates this problematic structural phenomenon
At the end of the show, I felt a bit melancholy– upset that Mallory was abandoned by the people she trusted most– but somewhat relieved that Mallory was now burdenless, free of caring for an entire community
The resolution of Lottery Day is not supposed to lift spirits– it is supposed to introduce the audience to the perspective they may not want to acknowledge The reality is that things change due to forces out of our control– relationships, neighborhoods, families, and economic situations The play is original and fresh Holter's devotion to Chicago-area nuances and relevant pop culture references sets it apart from its predecessors Lottery Day is an epic ending to a historical saga
EVA STRAZEK (SHE/HER) IS A BFA3 DRAMATURGY & DRAMATIC CRITICISM
MAJOR FROM LAKEWOOD, OHIO
Ride the Cyclone by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell is a musical with a cult following Featuring a chorus of six dead teens, a magical fortune telling machine called the Amazing Karnak, and the looming presence of the rat named Virgil (who’s chewing of Karnak’s power cable puts a pressing time limit on the events of the show), Ride the Cyclone is an energetic and quirky one act set in a whimsical but unsettling carnival purgatory
Beloved by young audiences for its refusal to shy away from the grittier parts of teen existence, it’s no surprise that the show completely sold out for its Theatre School debut The night I was in attendance was no exception; the house was packed, and the energy was electric
BY KATHERINE SHUERT
For many this show was a highly anticipated event, a shining light of fun and excitement in the typically cold and bleak winter quarter trudge
During the pre-show, I was taken by the great detail and texture of the set, designed by Nora Brooks-Slauter Worn and weathered by years and events unknown, my eyes searched the stage and its surrounding three islands of miscellaneous junk (said in the most affectionate way) hoping to discover all the things hidden and tucked within each crevice I was in a kind of non-place of lost things, an abandoned carnival to be dug through
I was of course delighted to find that, following their tragic deaths, the ensemble of dead teens scavenged the set for various hidden props and costume pieces for each ensuing musical number The eerie magic of that strange purgatory enhanced by the seeming conjuring of objects out of nowhere It’s a special pleasure to see a show excel in some of the magic tricks theatre has to offer In this production shadow work, puppetry, and lighting all flex their theatrical muscles and its quite the gun show
Speaking of flexing, it’s not every day our actors get to show off the full range of their vocal strengths In this musical, each member of the ensemble performs a song hoping to persuade the others it is them who should be saved and returned to the world of the living Ranging from upbeat pop to rap to operatic ballads, this show offers its cast the opportunity to display a variety of talents This cast took that opportunity and soared, wowing me with singing, dancing, and showmanship that would’ve electrified a crowd much bigger than one the Healy Theater can hold
Coya Paz’s director’s note describes Ride the Cyclone as a life-affirming piece; a show that faces death head on with “joy, mystery, and a catchy-soundtrack” There is a charming quality to the show’s irreverent and unashamed investigation of what’s really important in life
As each character reflects on who they were while alive, who they’d want to be if they get to go back, I found myself questioning “What parts of my life would stand out in a witty pop song? Would people cheer for me if I performed the highlights reel of my life and dreams? Would they vote me back?”
It's an interesting consideration in the context of the theatrical space We spend so much of our time performing for others It’s our passion, it’s what gives us life We are not so unlike these unfortunate teens hoping for enough applause to send them back to the world of the living We all hope and pray that our audience wants an encore
BY LAURA RODRIGUEZ SIERRA IN COLLABORATION WITH EVA STRAZEK
During last Spring Quarter at The Theatre School in 2024, Production meetings for The Chronicles of the Kaleidoscope Visitors had already begun Now a year later, the full play came into full bloom and closed on Saturday, May 31 The following article is a brief overview of the production and the dramaturgical work created for the final Playworks show of The Theatre School’s 2024-2025 production season
The Program Note
A remote and icy island where snow flurries from the sky and the wind whistles in your ears Kaleidoscope has never seen a flower, but grows hundreds of tons of bread Every ten years, a new family of farmers inhabits the icy territory until they harvest enough bounty to return to the mainland Sister Fibonacci, the youngest villager, is growing bored with dull, repetitive life
One day, Gorgoo and Gagaa, two faeries, appear in Kaleidoscope The faeries are bright green, covered in flora, and unable to speak or understand English Part plant, part human, they have the power to grow flowers and vegetables straight from the ground Sister Fibonacci welcomes the faeries with open arms and an open mind– but the rest of the family mistrusts the curious creatures
Playwright Omer Abbas Salem took inspiration from the story of the Green Children of Woolpit when writing the play In the 12th century Suffolk, England, the villagers of Woolpit came across two green children, presumably a sister and brother, who spoke an unrecognizable language The siblings were taken in by the country squire, Sir Richard de Calne, and baptized by the village’s church The girl learned the local language and slowly adapted to her surroundings (even losing her green tint) but her brother did not survive
Historians have pondered the children’s origin and their odd tint Some believe the children were faeries, but the truth is lost to history The Chronicles of the Kaleidoscope Visitors spins the tale of The Green Children of Woolpit into an adventurous allegory of two botanical sisters with magical capabilities As the faeries stay on the island, one sister assimilates into the villagers' culture, while the other longs for her homeland and grows ill. The sisters reveal their magic to the humans, and some villagers plot to exploit their power
The Chronicles of the Kaleidoscope Visitors isn’t just a play about a magical island and two green faeries– it’s about you and your neighbors, learners and teachers, friends and family
It combines the fairytales your parents read to you growing up, the news we see on TV every day, and the flowers that bloom in your backyard Gorgoo and Gaaga represent immigrant populations and symbolize the natural world, a world constantly undergoing destruction, to serve the people who make the most money Sister Fibonacci, the young hero of the story, inspires the audience to be openminded, tolerant, and, most importantly, open to learning new things.
“Boal and Brecht used as foundational dramaturgical tools”
- Laura Rodriguez Sierra
While analyzing the play and brainstorming materials for the production, Eva and I felt strongly about developing a theoretical foundation based on Bertolt Brecht’s Epic Theatre and Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed We cleverly coined the term “baby Brecht,” arguing that The Chronicles of the Kaleidoscope Visitors is a Brechtian allegorical tale informing and critically challenging young audiences. Initially our team was skeptical with such an approach of analysis considering Brecht and Boal for a contemporary children’s play about plant faeries and magic; however, our discussions in rehearsals flourished in beautiful ways
In our conversations with actors and directors, Eva and I had discovered that there was a deep desire among the cast to share socio-political thoughts and questions from the play. In a planned dramaturgy discussion during a rehearsal, we asked actors to bring in a recent piece of news that related to the play. The cast and directing team were split into groups to talk about baby Brecht and concepts extracted from Theatre of the Oppressed regarding language literacy and the youth
In the second half of the discussion, everyone congregated to share their news articles and analyze through the lens of Boal and Brecht Many of the headlines concerned shifting policies in public schools that place restrictions on language, lesson plans, courses, migrant and undocumented youth, and banned literature and studies.
The rehearsal room was charged with activist excitement where thoughts on assimilation, language loss, color blindness, interpersonal accountability, immigration, and cultural and political dissatisfaction spread like wild ivy. After the intense conversation came to a close, actors and the directing team shared a gratitude for the space to speak, listen, and learn. That day, plans for the show changed in many ways to best fit a united mission for the play. Choices in design, staging, and character work shifted to exhibit a merging of two worlds colliding on Kaleidoscope between the green fairies and Sister Fibonacci. The role of the Learners (a group of folks in the play’s society that dedicate their life to learning, teaching, inventing, and discovering) also grew in importance when choosing motifs of emphasis It was profound moment of gratitude to be a facilitator to a discussion rich of revelations and passions and witness to theatre magic during a rehearsal process
The Chronicles of the Kaleidoscope
Visitors encourages young audiences to seek answers that feel right to their world directly in text and through allegory
Sister FIbonacci rejects the village’s fears, ignorance, rules, and schemes and chooses to lead with her heart and mind
The discussion practiced in the rehearsal room among adults was a guided active Brectian-Boal process of thought in which social problems were noticed and criticized and action was initiated in the vessel of a children’s play The characters who may have at first been considered simply another adult in a child’s narrative transformed into active participants of a greater mission to share with an audience of youth who will be the future’s participants of necessary action
Beyond facilitated discussions, in the spirit of Brecht’s artistic collage projects and Boal’s literacy advocacy, a storybook was created for The Chronicles of The Kaleidoscope Visitors Team. The storybook included the full dramaturgy packet along with annotations and images from discussions and interactive pages for participants to write and draw in The storybook is now a physical piece of history of the production, its dramaturgical work, and the world of Kaleidoscope as seen through the eyes of the first team and cast to perform the play
RODRIGUEZ SIERRA (SHE/HER) IS A BFA4 DRAMATURGY & DRAMATIC CRITICISM MAJOR, BORN IN PUERTO RICO AND RAISED IN THE SOUTH.
Interior and exterior photos of the storybook created by this production’s dramaturgs, Laura Rodriguez Sierra and Eva Strazek
BY EVA STRAZEK
“Tell her”
“Tell him”
“Tell them”
That’s what the voice echoing in Alodia’s head keeps repeating to her, over and over again She’s stressed and overworked, taking on two jobs to support her sister with fibromyalgia, dealing with the fallout of her older brother coming back to town, and harboring a massive secret of her own
Alodia is trying to ignore it, but it’s becoming impossible She’s losing her hearing, and she’s too ashamed to tell anyone about it
“Tell them”
On the opposite side of the Healy Theatre to where I’m seated, there sits a giant box, completely carpeted, from floor to ceiling, courtesy of the commendable scenic designer Izaak Karry As Left Unheard takes shape before me, parts of the set reveal themselves as movable and morphable chunks of the structure slide in and out like puzzle pieces as characters emerge from the wall The carpeting tamps the sound, it doesn’t echo – a brilliant way to introduce the audience to Alodia’s world
The first character to emerge is “D”-- the physical form of Alodia’s progressing disability, manifested as a giant red-andblack beetle D blares an air horn upon their entrance, as their way to announce “I’m here, bitches! And I’m here to stay”
Alodia, of course, has no interest in D’s antics But as the story unfolds, we learn that D is not just some annoying pest attached to Alodia; D is part of her The two are one organism, one unable to function without the other D claims that when Alodia finally accepts that the two are intertwined, she’ll finally be happy But still, Alodia refuses We begin to realize that in this world, insects are an analogy for invisible limitations
Though we follow Alodia’s story from the beginning to the end of the play, the other people in her life all get their moments to shine, and rightfully so. Alodia’s siblings, Jude and Ruth, are the bookends to her central storyline Every character in the play is nuanced, multifaceted, and endearing Playwright Perse Grammer does an excellent job of zooming in on the lives of these secondary characters while still maintaining a clear focus on Alodia and her siblings’ story
The narrative includes a multitude of disabled experiences Ruth, Alodia’s younger sister, is living with fibromyalgia, a chronic illness that causes her immense and unstoppable pain Mallory, Alodia’s exgirlfriend and Jude’s current girlfriend, realises she is on the autism spectrum near the end of the play Skye, Jude’s roommate, suffers from familial trauma, PTSD, and panic attacks
The highlight of Left Unheard, for me, was how beautifully the playwriting, design, and technical elements united to materialize and demonstrate the experience of disability to audiences who may not have familiarity with it. D and Alodia’s constant bickering personifies the impostor syndrome, vulnerability, and hopelessness many disabled people feel when their disability isn’t visible to the naked eye We often feel as if we are not “disabled enough”, or that there’s “really nothing wrong” with us-- even when we cannot withstand the unaccommodated demands of everyday life It can cause spirals of negative thinking and selfdoubt, which we see Alodia struggle with.
In an epic fight scene between D and Alodia, we watch Alodia's final fleeting attempts to separate herself from her disability But in the wake of the fight, Alodia finally accepts herself, and reveals her disability to the people around her. Her relationship with D changes into a mutually beneficial one By the end of the show, we finally see acceptance, as Alodia pushes back the curtain in her window to reveal a beautiful, colorful butterfly mosaic, signifying self-acceptance.
Mallory, a teacher who puts her heart and soul into her practice, realizes that she is accommodating one of her autistic students exactly how she would have liked to be accommodated as a child, and that’s when everything clicks
For the entirety of the show, Mallory goes about her day with a beetle headpiece perched atop her hair, signifying the neurodivergence that is unbeknownst to her When Mallory realizes and accepts she’s likely autistic, we see her holding and caressing the beetle as she embraces her disability Grammer and costume designer Spencer Harrington truly outdid themselves with this detail– it was tearjerking
Left Unheard was specifically impactful to me, someone who lives with an invisible disability More often than not, disabled characters are misrepresented in the media, if even represented at all Oftentimes, we’re the victims of poor, stereotypical, or one-dimensional portrayals that put our disability before our personhood Grammer’s play balances the impactful reality that disabilities can have on a person, but doesn’t reduce them to a caricature
Alongside spectacular portrayals of disability, Left Unheard was chalk full of queer representation I enjoyed the subplot about Jude’s trans identity, and I wish it could have been explored more. I also accept that there’s only so much you can fit into a 2-hour play
I think creating a series of multiple plays, each centered around a different character from Left Unheard, could be a triumphant next step for Grammar The writing and acting were superb, the design was impeccable, and the representation brought me to tears up in row four– (seriously, my autistic self would watch a full-length spin-off about Mallory) Left Unheard was another NPS (New Playwright Series) smash hit and demonstrates, once again, the exceptional talent of our BFA Playwrights
EVA STRAZEK (SHE/HER) IS A BFA3 DRAMATURGY & DRAMATIC CRITICISM
MAJOR FROM LAKEWOOD, OHIO
Special thanks to:
Rachel Shteir, Supervising Editor
Martine Kei Green-Rogers, Dean of The Theatre School
