Maine Masque Presents “Six Characters in Search of an Author” in April
Contact: Emily Gammon, (207) 581-7179, (cell 651-9764), George Manlove, (207) 581-3756
Several area residents are in this production)
ORONO — Luigi Pirandello’s play within a play, “Six Characters in Search of an Author,” is being brought to the University of Maine’s Hauck Auditorium April 6-9 and April 10 by the Maine Masque Theater.
Performances for the all-student production are at 7:30 p.m. on April 6-9 and 2 p.m. on April 10 in Hauck Auditorium. Admission is $8.
A cast of ten, a production staff and technical crew of several more students are enthusiastic about the impact it promises for audiences.
Director Joshua Schmersal says he selected the play, which explores interfamily relationships, for this year’s Maine Masque production because he liked its intricate themes when he read the play his first year at college.
“The themes excited me and I could see it all happening in my mind,” he says.
The premise of the play is a group of actors rehearsing for a show when a group of mysterious figures enter and explain that they are characters of an unfinished work and are searching for an author to complete them. The characters are a family that has undergone extreme challenge and conflict, and are now struggling to retell their story.
This historically controversial piece promises to challenge members of the audience, forcing them to explore the world of theater and assess their own interpersonal relationships.
Pirandello, an Italian author and a Nobel Prize winner, wrote the play during the Roaring Twenties, although the themes are still very applicable today. The infusion of autobiographical themes into his work is evident in this play.
As a young man, Pirandello had an arranged marriage to Antonietta Portulano. After the birth of their three children, his wife suffered mental breakdown and was later committed to a mental institution. Pirandello’s depression and loneliness as a result of this is palpable in the presentation of the six characters in the play.
The piece is timeless because of this intense focus on familial relationships.
“Everyone relates to it one way or another,” says theater major Lacey Martin of Brownville, who plays the mother in the production. “The play is about family relationships and everyone has that.”
The relationship between reality and illusion and the clash of life and art also are intricately woven into Pirandello’s literature — and into the UMaine production. Schmersal stresses that audience members will have to decide for themselves what is reality and what isn’t.
Jeffrey Hake, a horticulture major from Franklin who plays the character of stage manager, explains that because of the nontraditional nature of the play, “not everyone will have the same experience.”
Secondary education major Ian Carlson of Standish, who plays the part of the second actor, agrees. “It forces you to look at your own life and find something,” he says.
Theater major Allen Adams of Levant, playing the lead actor, adds that, “work like this is important in the academic theatre. It is extremely challenging and extremely rewarding.”
Designers and technical crew include Schmersal of Bangor, set designer Dale Knapp of Newport, lighting designer Kristen Dearborn of Hallowell, costume designer Annette Sohns of Bucksport, sound designer Devon Medeiros of Richmond, stage manager Adam D. Thibodeau of Fairfield, props mistress Erin Couturier of Winslow, publicity manager Emily Gammon of Limington and technical director Joanne Pineau of Jay.
Other cast members include theatre major Chris Franklin (father) of Williamsport, Pa., theatre major Dustin Sleight (son) of Orono, music major Whitney Blethen (stepdaughter) of Appleton, psychology and sociology major Brianna Geary (Madame Pace) of Henniker, N.H., theatre major Joy VanMeter (lead actress) of Penobscot and theatre major Joshua Leigh (the director) of Wiscasset.
Information can be obtained by calling the UMaine Center for the Arts box office at (207) 581-1755.