As I said in my last post, the play is about a researcher, Dr. Schuyler Baines (played by junior Gianna Miranda), who, along with her research team, is trying to preserve the giant tortoise population in the Galapagos. However, to preserve the giant tortoises, the fishing season is cut short, upsetting the local fishermen. In addition, Dr. Baines is also dealing with the recent passing of her mother and struggling with whether she should have had a family of her own.
This was a staged reading, meaning there were no sets, costumes, or props. Stage directions were read out loud to give the audience a sense of what a fully-staged production would be like. The actors did move around on stage and read from the script.
The subject matter was interesting. The conflict between the researchers and the fishermen showed the class differences between rich and poor. The researchers not having to worry about money and being able to focus on saving the giant tortoises and the fishermen needing to fish to make money and survive. This is also why the reading fit with Moravian's IN-FOCUS theme of poverty and inequality.
Another interesting part of the plat was the connection made to evolution. One of the characters, Malcolm, simplifies evolution to Dr. Baines by relating it to the Dr. Seuss book "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish." As someone who doesn't consider herself to be very scientific, I appreciated the simple explanation of Charles Darwin's complicated theory.
Overall, the reading of "Tooth and Claw" was good. There was a fairly good turnout and during the talk-back after the reading, the audience members who shared their thoughts seemed to enjoy it. The cast only rehearsed for one week and "Tooth and Claw" was especially challenging since many of the characters have accents but it was a good start to what is sure to be another wonderful season of MCTC.
There are several more readings schedule for this semester. If you're interested, here's more info:
- "Good People" by David Lindsay-Abaire
Directed by Bill Bauman
Friday, October 14
- "All in the Timing" by David Ives
Directed by Dan Marrero '13
Friday, October 28
- "Disco Pigs" by Enda Walsh
Directed by Gina Ambrosino '12
Friday, March 23
All readings are at 8 p.m. in the Arena Theatre and admission is free.
I wasn't able to see this play reading like I wanted, but it sounds like it was great. Are any of the upcoming play/play readings going to be focused on Poverty and Inequality?
ReplyDeleteNone of the other play readings are specifically focused on poverty and inequality but there are some readings coming up soon. You can check out the schedule in my post or MCTC's website (http://home.moravian.edu/public/eng/theatre/index.htm).
ReplyDeleteare the readings part of the theater curriculum? Do many folks from the public attend, or strictly a Moravian event?
ReplyDeleteMoravian does not have a theatre major, so any student or faculty member is welcome to participate. The readings were started last year as a way to get more people involved without needing to commit to a lot of time. For full productions, rehearsals are usually several months but for the readings, rehearsals are only for 1 week.
ReplyDeleteMostly members of the Moravian community attend the events, although some from the general public come too and they are always welcome to any of the performances.