Unless you've been living under a rock, you should be well aware that Cabaret Theatre is showing their mainstage production of Grace, written by Craig Wright and directed by Dalton Zogleman (Theatre, 5th year, Class of 2016)
**Trigger warning for sexual assault, violence, and weaponry*
After watching their first tech run last night, I could entice you with really vague phrases and things that popped up in my head like "space plumber" or "why are there so many bugs in this apartment complex??" or "what is Kelly even saying when she's speaking in French at the beginning of that one scene???" but you'll all probably benefit more from a legitimate description, which I procured from Dalton:
live action shot of yours truly and dalt-ON during the first night of tech!
Grace is about faith, not in the religious sense, and what happens when one has too much or too little of it. Steve and Sara have moved to Florida to follow a lucrative business deal. As Sara befriends Sam, their neighbor who recently lost his fiance in a car crash, we see the inner workings of relationships and faith. The play is an exploration of what it means to love, and, with the help of an exterminator named Karl, what true belief looks like.
Dalton is definitely no stranger to the stage, and has experience in almost every aspect of the theatre. His favorite part about being director the ability to have the largest artist impact as well as being able to collaborate with a cast to create a product that is " personal, powerful, and truthfu".
"I chose to propose this play because its a beautiful story. It resonates with me on so many levels. We all know people like the characters of the play and it makes great commentary on the divisive issues of faith in our country today."
This show definitely brings up a lot of different views about evolution and the creation of man, and the debate goes on throughout the whole show, along with intense backstories from Karl and Steve. Whether you're super religious or not, I have no doubt that audience members will be able to connect with these characters on some level.
This connection is exactly what Kelly Lozo (Business Management major, Theatre and American Studies double minor, Sophomore) was able to explore a little more when trying to channel Sara. "Personally, I am not a very religious person but it was beautiful to dive into the world of God for a little while and experience this intimate connection Sara feels to everything else in the world. It's about being open and vulnerable as Sara, but in her openness she carries an inspiring strength."
My favorite part about talking to members of each show is asking how they felt about the rehearsal process. I love seeing the bonds that each cast creates with each other throughout the several weeks they're together. It is clear that in this show, Dalton did a really fantastic job in getting his cast of four to really understand their characters and their relationships with each other, which ultimately led to a fantastic show. Kelly told me that her favorite part of any show is always "the beginning table work and crafting. Sitting down with people and discovering the world of the play and your place in it is such a creative and rewarding process. Especially with this cast in particular, Dalton did such a professional job drawing each of us out. "
After talking to Liam McGeary (Music Education - Percussion, Sophomore), he had similar sentiments about the whole thing. "The director and the cast really set up an environment in which we all got lost in the material and got in really deep and it was just a really creatively enlightening experience. "
“What to expect when you’re expecting... to see Grace: Soup, Bandages, Phones, Coffee Table, Love, Gun, Old German Man, Lights, Prayer, Tea, an iPod from 2006, 4 amazingly talented actors, and a Partridge in a Pear Tree* *Note: Partridge in a Pear Tree may not be available at all performances.”
Grace also has other cool stuff like cool wibbly wobbly timey-wimey things, a groovy soundtrack in between scenes, and Finnerty yelling profanities! (only like 1 or 2 times tops, though, nbd tbh)
Real talk though, this show really touched me in a way that I wasn't expecting. Definitely make your way over to Suydam Street and see this show, because it's one that you're not gonna wanna miss.
“That’s a bunch of donkey doodie.”