Allentown, PA (Nov. 15, 2016) — Two talented Muhlenberg College senior directing students will present their work in Muhlenberg Theatre & Dance's "New Visions Directors' Festival: Falling," Nov. 30 – Dec. 4.
The evening includes 19th century playwright Oscar Wilde's "Salome," based on the biblical tale of the beheading of John the Baptist, and 20th century playwright Sam Shepard's ominous exploration of Cold War anxiety, "Icarus's Mother."
"Despite the fact that 'Salome' is classical in style and 'Icarus' uses American vernacular, the plays complement each other," says "Icarus's Mother" director Karina Fox. "They are both about identity and self-acceptance in a judgmental universe."
Oscar Wilde's "Salome," directed by Simon Evans, tells the biblical story of Salome, Princess of Judea, stepdaughter of Herod, the lecherous ruler. Salome's affections lie with the prophet Iokanaan (John the Baptist), who rejects her sexual advances. To Herod's delight, Salome finally agrees to dance the infamous Dance of the Seven Veils. When Herod offers her anything she wants in return, Salome makes a startling and gruesome demand.
In a departure from theatrical tradition, all of the characters in this production of "Salome" are performed by female actors.
"We are creating a sort of parallel universe where men do not exist and female queerness and sexuality can be celebrated," Evans says. "I want to explore how women can be empowered through their bodies and through their actions."
Evans says he hopes to create a world the late playwright would have been proud to experience.
"I think the queering of the tale is really true to Wilde's vision," he says. "I'm trying to pay tribute to a really brilliant man who had some really awful stuff happen to him." Oscar Wilde died destitute and humiliated after his imprisonment for homosexuality.
Evans says he hopes to create "beautiful stage pictures while really allowing the bodies onstage to tell the story." He sees this production as a collaborative effort among himself, the production team, and the show's 13 actresses.
"I'm really interested in working with my collaborators and finding what feels best for everybody," he says. "I'm definitely open to new things, and allowing for work to go in directions I never expected."
Collaboration is a value Evans shares with "Icarus's Mother" director Karina Fox.
"I love to work directly and collaboratively with actors because the show belongs to all of us," she says.
In "Icarus's Mother," by Sam Shepard, a lazy picnic develops into a surreal nightmare. While a group of young picnickers waits for the fireworks, they start acting bizarrely — sending smoke signals from the barbecue, playing cruel mind games, and play-acting disasters. The group dynamic spins into chaos, and the disastrous fantasies somehow become a fiery reality.
"In this piece, Shepard takes a seemingly perfect world and allows it to devolve into something mysterious, complex, and even terrifying," Fox says.
Like Evans, Fox draws a lot of inspiration from her playwright.
"I chose this play because of Shepard," she says. "I think he's one of our most insightful modern playwrights. He creates really complicated dramatic worlds that explore what it means to be human in new and inventive ways."
"Shepard is widely produced and well-beloved," she says. "It's a great opportunity to work with one of his earlier, less-produced works because I have a chance to really make it my own."
Fox's actors have spent the past few months of rehearsal digging deeply into the world of the play, examining group dynamics and trying to figure out what they would do in the face of crisis, she says.
This play was written in 1965, in the shadow of the Cold War. The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Kennedy assassination were recent memory, and anxieties ran high. Fox says the play's uneasiness comes across as very contemporary in today's similarly tense environment.
"I'm excited for the audience to experience the raw, human emotions that Shepard has created on the page," she says. "It's a fun play, but it's also full of mystery and suspense. You will laugh as much as you are terrified."
"New Visions Directors' Festival: Falling" plays Nov. 30 – Dec. 4. Recommended for mature audiences. Showtimes are Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Regular admission tickets are $15. Tickets for youth and LVAIC students and staff are $8.
Tickets and information are available online at muhlenberg.edu/theatre or by phone at 484-664-3333. Performances are in the Studio Theatre in Trexler Pavilion for Theatre & Dance, Muhlenberg College, 2400 West Chew St., Allentown.