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YALE DAILY NEWS · WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2014 · yaledailynews.com
ARTS & CULTURE New Rep show explores family, freedom
CAROL ROSEGG
The play approaches the issues that faced African-American women in 19th-century society by focusing on the lives of three women in the wake of a tragedy. BY ERIC XIAO STAFF REPORTER For its last show of the 2013’14 season, the Yale Repertory Theatre is staging a new play exploring the importance of family and the cost of freedom. “The House that will not Stand” by Marcus Gardley opens tomorrow night at the Rep. The play centers on a group of women in New Orleans and the tensions that arise between them after the death of the family patriarch. Gardley said he was inspired by various sources, including the work of Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca, 19th-century American history and his own family’s stories. “I would argue that all plays somehow draw upon the playwright’s life,” Gardley said. “I noticed that the sibling rivalry here is very similar to my own
relationship with my siblings.” The play is subtitled “A drama about the free women of color in New Orleans, 1836,” and Gardley noted that his mother’s side of the family is originally from New Orleans. Gardley said he wanted to expose a little-known period of New Orleans history in which many African-American women who had been extremely wealthy before the territory was sold to the United States lost all of their property under the American racial laws of the period. Gardley added that the use of poetic language in the play was inspired by one of his favorite playwrights, Garcia Lorca, famous for a similar writing style. The story line focuses on the central character Beartrice, her three daughters and their servant in the aftermath of the death of Beartrice’s husband. While two of the daughters yearn to find a
partner, Beartrice prevents them from leaving the house to attend social events because she feels that no man in the city is worthy of their hands in marriage. Lizan Mitchell, who plays Beartrice, described the character as a “product of her time,” noting that Beartrice’s overbearing parenting style originates from a strong desire to see her children prosper. Patricia McGregor, the show’s director, said that Gardley chose “Beartrice” rather than more conventional spellings of the name, such as “Beatrice,” to evoke the image of a bear, an animal known to be protective of its offspring. “The particular animal [Beartrice] resonates to is the bear, so you should imagine a mother bear in a beautiful costume,” Mitchell said. McGregor and Mitchell said the play’s script contains highly
detailed and specific stage directions, which are meant to ensure that the production accurately depicts the culture of New Orleans in the early 19th century. McGregor explained that the city is a combination of vastly different cultures, noting that some parts of it resemble Greek revival architecture while others appear similar to Senegalese tropical landscapes. During the rehearsal process several features of the play’s set, even objects not significant to the plot, were replaced in favor of more elaborate props in order to better portray the elegance of the characters’ household, she added. Harriett D. Foy, who plays Makeda, the family servant, said the characters themselves are also designed to reflect the New Orleans culture. She said that her character is based on the ancient Queen of Sheba and
explained that she must appear regal even though she is only a servant. McGregor explained that the play is set during a time when the French-influenced “plaçage” system — a system in which black women played the role of wives to European men but were not legally married to them — was in place. As a result, McGregor noted, young women such as Beartrice’s daughters had to always present themselves elegantly in order to impress potential suitors, wearing restrictive clothing such as corsets. McGregor added that the production will feature elaborate lighting and sound effects during scenes in which supernatural forces are involved, such as when the family house appears to move on its own and when characters invoke religious deities. She said that while films may use
techniques such as computergenerated imagery to create the appearance of magic, depicting magical elements on stage requires actors to convince the audience that such spirits exist through their behavior. Mitchell noted that for her, these spiritual scenes are not only about portraying a character in a play, but also about paying homage to her ancestors. “In terms of African culture, this is the spirituality that is indigenous to the people,” Mitchell said. “It may be foreign to Europeans but to people of African descent, you have an intuitive feeling for this spirituality.” Performances of “The House that will not Stand” will run through May 10. Contact ERIC XIAO at eric.xiao@yale.edu .
Play mixes musical theater and sitcom plot BY DAVID KURKOVSKIY STAFF REPORTER Six funny young adults attempt to discover themselves and find true love in New York City. This conventional sitcom plot inspired the new student musical “I Love You Because.” The musical, which first premiered in New York in 2006, features a story written by Ryan Cunningham and music by Joshua Salzman. It premieres on Wednesday night in the Saybrook Underbrook Theater. Director Zina Ellis ’15 and producer Skyler Ross ’16 said they decided to stage the play because of its fun atmosphere, light humor and enjoyable contemporary musical theater soundtrack. “[The musical has] a pretty collegiate sense of humor,” Ellis said, comparing the show’s humor to the one of a typical sitcom featuring young adults. She added that the way the characters are represented in the musical resembles the way adults are usually portrayed in sitcoms and romantic comedies. Caroline Powers ’17, who plays the character Diana, also emphasized the element of humor as central to the show and compared its plot to TV shows
such as “Friends” or “How I Met Your Mother.” “I think there are elements of awkwardness that are really relevant to our lives and are really prevalent in today’s dating world,” Powers said. Ellis and Ross also said they think that the play’s New York setting will be relatable to Yale students because many are either from New York or will end up working there eventually. But Powers added that the play’s setting is not as important as the general theme of finding love in a big city. Ross said he thinks that one of the most interesting aspects of the plot is the fact that it follows a six-person cast in a city of more than 10 million people. Members of the cast and crew explained that the Saybrook Underbrook’s small size initially posed a challenge to creating the appearance of a large city on set, but explained that set designer Jae Shin ’17 captured New York through a depiction of its distinctive skyline and Jackson Pollock-inspired splatter paintings reminiscent of the city’s constant movement. Powers added that the Underbrook’s intimate ambience fits well with the spirit of intimacy fostered by the show.
MARISA LOWE/CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
“I Love You Because” is the only full theater production that will be performed during Bulldog Days. “I Love You Because” is the only production that will have a show during Bulldog Days, and the production held an open dress rehearsal for prefrosh on
Tuesday night. Ellis said the show will allow visiting high school students to survey the Yale theater scene by watching an actual production.
“It’s exciting to have the potential to show them a final product and to potentially give them a little glimpse to what the process is like,” Ellis said.
“I Love You Because” will run through Friday. Contact DAVID KURKOVSKIY at david.kurkovskiy@yale.edu .