On November 5, the curtain will rise at Russell Hall on Pirandello’s “Six Characters in Search of an Author,” the final production to be directed by USM faculty Minor Rootes, who is retiring at the end of this year. Originally written in 1921, the play nevertheless asks a timely question in this era of reality television: Can a performance ever be realistic? And, if drama- at least according to Webster – is “A…composition intended for representation by actors…”, can reality ever truly be dramatic? In director Minor Rootes’ unique interpretation of “Six Characters,” both of these questions are explored.
The show essentially has two casts: the ‘real world’ cast, and the reality-challenged Six Characters. In the real world cast, the USM actors play themselves; cast member and USM student Heather Crocker notes, “… The way I react in this is really the way I’d react to a situation – I pull a lot of things from my own personality.” The play begins with the ‘real’ cast trying to get through a rehearsal, in a scene most of the actors have experienced firsthand over the years. Director Rootes has collaborated with the cast in doing extensive rewrites on the play, saying “We’re trying to mix a lot more humor with the play than was originally intended by Pirandello, which is why we’ve added the more topical references.”
Indeed, topical references abound in this production, promising a night of theatre that brings the audience into the play in a way unique to so-called ‘reality’ theatre. We the audience are in on the inside jokes, we know the actors – and the actors are playing themselves – and the humor, diction, and grammar are… Well, the way we talk. So where does the actual drama come in?
Just as every reality show has to have some artificial stimulant to inject tension (whether it be a makeover, a million dollars, a new man, or all three), the artificial stimulant in this case is a mysterious group of six characters anxious to tell their story. Which is where the irony comes in, and the drama unfolds. Think “Survivor” meets “Gilligan’s Island,” where the “Survivor” cast is wholly aware of their mission and their audience, while Gilligan and the Skipper continue trying to get off the damn island completely oblivious to any kind of outside world. “Six Characters” takes it further by asking: Where is the truth in the scenario? If Gilligan and the Skipper were actually their characters and not Bob Denver and Alan Hale, wouldn’t they be the more realistic pair, because they exist in a world that isn’t trying to be dramatic, while the cast of “Survivor” are actors manipulating reality?
It gets very confusing, trust me. But the confusion is well worth it in this case, as we the audience go along for the ride with the actors, in an attempt to learn the truth of the Six Characters. So, what are the top three reasons you should drop everything and go see “Six Characters in Search of an Author” this weekend?
(3) You’ll have the opportunity to examine intriguing questions about the nature of truth, reality, and the role of drama in our lives,
(2) There are lots of timely and clever jokes at the expense of USM faculty, and
(1) You could win a million dollars.
That last one isn’t actually true, just for the record, but, really, what is truth? You should go anyway – it’s an interesting new take on an old classic, and it just might make you see “The Apprentice” in a whole new light.
“Six Characters In Search of an Author” open November 5, 2004, and runs through November 14 at Russell Hall on the USM Gorham campus. Tickets are $12 for the general public; $8 for seniors; and $5 for students. Call the Theatre box office at 780-5151 for reservations and information.