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Students Perform in All My Sons

Students Perform in All My Sons

Weekly Portraits of Calvary Life

Last weekend Calvary’s Theatre Arts Department presented Arthur Miller’s All My Sons.

Ann Deever (Mallory Pihl) and Chris Keller (Vincent Matteson)

The story of the play takes place a few years after the end of World War II, so our student body supported the cast and crew by dressing in ‘40s fashion on Friday.  We are thankful for all of the time and effort put in to producing this show by many students and faculty members.

Ann Deever (Mallory Pihl) and Kate Keller (Christy Stone)

George Deever (Zeb Johnson) and Joe Keller (Corey Ruehling)

The play is a tragedy and centers on the Keller family.  It presents thought-provoking themes of family relationships and suicide, and the actors sought to really understand what the world was like during that time period.

‘40s Fashion Day

Sara Klaassen

Alumni Relations Coordinator

 

Upcoming Calvary Events

Clay Shoot                               October 20

Cycle 3 begins                         October 22

Charles C. Ryrie Lecture Series          October 23-26

Theatre Arts Silent Auction     November 2

Masterworks Chorus Performance    November 9

Upcoming Soccer Games

October 25-27, MCCC Tournament at Haviland, KS

Upcoming Volleyball Games

October 26-27, MCCC Tournament at Joplin, MO

Upcoming lux voces Performances

October 28, 10:45 a.m. at Belvidere Heights Baptist Church in Grandview, MO

 

Calvary Profs Collaborate around the Themes in “All My Sons”

Calvary Profs Collaborate around the Themes in “All My Sons”

Mrs. Rose Henness, Mr. Norm Baker, Dr. Luther Smith, and Ms Ana Sharp during the talkback

It is always an honor for Calvary’s Theatre Department to host interdisciplinary collaboration with our faculty around the themes of our productions. This year’s fall production, All My Sons, by 20th century American playwright Arthur Miller, is incredibly rich in content and even wealthier in its themes. Chapel on Wednesday, October 3, provided students and faculty with the opportunity of diving in! Following a scene from the play performed during theChapel, Calvary faculty, including Mrs. Rose Henness (Director of Institutional Effectiveness), Mr. Norm Baker (Bible and Theology), and Dr. Luther Smith (Biblical Counseling), joined senior Ana Sharp (dramaturg), director Bobbie Jeffrey, and the cast of CU Theatre’s All My Sons for a talk back.

 

 

 

Vincent Matteson as Chris Keller, Jon Van Pelt as Jim Bayliss, and Mallory Pihl as Ann Deever in a scene from “All My Sons”

Discussion was filled with the following highlights:

  • Dr. Smith, Mrs. Henness, and Mr. Baker all recommended students attend the play. The literature was new to all of them and had them turning its pages at a rapid rate!
  • Mrs. Henness spoke about the dysfunction of family secrets and how destructive they are.
  • Dr. Smith mentioned that theatre is often a vehicle for truth that reaches people other methods cannot.
  • Bobbie Jeffrey, Theatre Arts Department Chair, spoke to the tragic elements in All My Sons and why studying tragedy as a literary genre is important
  • Ana Sharp not only shared information about WWII survivors’ battle on the homefront with what is now known as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but connected it to the U.S. Government’s decision to hide its effects rom the public.

 

Levi Bennett as Frank Lubey and Mallory Pihl as Ann Deever

Students tweeted in questions which were moderated by John Oglesby, our chapel spokesperson. One of the favorite interactions of the talkback had to do with a section of dialogue from the play referring to drunkenness. A question was asked about the Christian stance on this subject. Dr. Smith immediately raised his hand for the mic: “Alcohol good; drunkenness bad,” to which Mr. Baker added, “Ditto.”

 

 

Vincent Matteson and Corey Ruehling as Joe Keller

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The discussion was animated and lively, and was an example of what academic theatre does best. Join us this weekend to get even more! Optional talkbacks with select faculty, director, cast, and crew will be held after every performance, and it would be our honor to have you join us. Tickets are now on sale: https://www.calvary.edu/theatre-box-office/

Exegesis and Hermeneutics for Theatre: Dramaturgy!

Exegesis and Hermeneutics for Theatre: Dramaturgy!

Ana Sharp, Dramaturg for “All My Sons”

It’s a crazy idea, right? Exegesis and hermeneutics in theatre? Well, yes! The same principles apply and are almost as rich in the study of theatre and production of plays as they are in the study of the Bible and the story of our lives! Our fall production, All My Sons, by Arthur Miller, has been rich in something known as dramaturgy. What better way to share with you the principles of dramaturgy than to introduce you to Ana Sharp, our own exegetical and hermeneutical dramaturg.

Here are Ana’s responses to my interview questions:

  • How do the terms exegesis and hermeneutics apply to theatre?
In theatre, as in the Christian walk, we are faced with the task of making choices based on a text we may not fully understand. Dramaturgy, like theology, is a field built around a premise of high respect for a text and its author. Dramaturgs and other theatre artists strive for an accurate exegesis (interpretation of the text), and with every play we need to choose the right hermeneutic (strategic approach). 
 
All My Sons requires a historical-literal hermeneutic much like we would use for the gospels. The more we know about the historical events, culture, and world surrounding the events of the story, the better we understand what the author wanted to communicate and, by extension, the better we can communicate the author’s intent to the audience.
  • How does good dramaturgy help cast, crew, and director of a production?
The historical setting, moral themes, and story structure combine to form what we call “the world of the play.” Every design choice, every directing choice, and every acting choice is informed by the world of the play.  All My Sons takes place in a world where honesty matters, and every choice has far-reaching consequences, beginning with one’s closest relationships and extending to people one has never met. It also takes place at a specific time (August of 1946) in a specific place (Ohio, USA), and in a neighborhood of a certain income level. 
 
Dramaturgy is digging into every detail the playwright gives us in order to firmly establish the world of the play in the minds of the artists creating it onstage. Good dramaturgy contributes toward solid acting choices, informed directing decisions, and a unified storytelling effort on the part of the design team.
  • Why is excellent dramaturgy particularly important to this year’s fall production, All My Sons?

Arthur Miller, playwright

First and foremost, this play deals with a war that really happened, and pain that millions felt. Arthur Miller wrote with compassion and sensitivity to the humans wounded physically or emotionally by World War II. They were his first audience. We have the honor of telling this story in the 21st century, and the least we can do to honor the sacrifices of that generation is to put the world they lived in on stage as accurately and respectfully as possible.

 

 

 

 

The P-40 Warhawk, a WWII plane at the nexus of the conflict of “All My Sons”

All My Sons is a story that was very pointedly written for its time. Its message is timeless and forever relevant, but its setting requires some translation. The show was set in the “present day” when it first opened in 1947. Its first audiences would have needed no introduction to the social and political climate of the time—they were living it! 71 years later, however, the events and sentiments surrounding the story of the play are more obscure to us. Themes of integrity and honesty will  always resonate, but what are Post Toasties?  Who are the Gumps? Dramaturgy for this show is heavily focused on helping the cast and crew understand the world of 1946, so they can deliver every nuance of the story to the audience.

 

 

 

  • Could you share with us All My Sons dramaturgical connection to Greek tragedies?
Absolutely! Without revealing too many spoilers, All My Sons conforms to the structure of antique tragedies such as Oedipus Rex or Antigone. A tragic hero with a fatal flaw makes a single huge mistake and eventually has to face the consequences of that choice and do their best to right it and bring their world back into balance. All My Sons even conforms to Aristotle’s “three unities” of time, place, and action. The events of the play take place within a 24-hour period (unity of time) in one location (unity of place), and everything that happens on stage feeds into the eventual crisis and climax of the play (unity of action). 
  • What’s your favorite dramaturgical tidbit from researching All My Sons?

Aside from absolutely geeking out over the classical tragedy parallels mentioned above, I’ve immensely enjoyed reading the old comic strip “The Gumps” which is mentioned in the show. The style of humor is fun to compare to modern meme culture. The more things change, the more they stay the same!

Join us for an exegetical, hermeneutical, incredibly moving experience! Tickets are on sale now!
Meet the Cast of “All My Sons!”

Meet the Cast of “All My Sons!”

From right to left: Mallory Pihl, Christy Stone, Elijah LePage, Corey Ruehling, Vincent Matteson, Jon Van Pelt, Rebekkah McIntosh, Callie Weeks, Levi Bennett, and Zeb Johnson

While you were finishing your Labor Day picnic, the dedicated cast of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons began an intense rehearsal process. With just five and a half weeks to mount a full production, the process is demanding. Actors will be off book by September 24; however, eight-year-old Elijah LePage in the role of Bert already has his down!

The play is set in post-WWII 1947 middle America and won two Tony awards, one for Best Author (Arthur Miller) and another for Best Director (Elia Kazan). It was Miller’s first success. The action centers around the Keller’s backyard as a terrible secret is slowly unraveled through the course of the action. The Keller family is composed of Junior Corey Ruehling as Joe Keller, patriarch of the Keller family; senior Christy Stone, plays his wife, Kate; and their son Chris is played by junior Vincent Matteson. Elijah Page as the friendly neighborhood kid Bert is joined by Chris’ girlfriend Ann Deever (Junior Mallory Pihl), Ann’s brother George (Junior Zeb Johnson), neighbors Jim and Sue Bayliss (Jon Van Pelt and Callie Weeks) and Lydia and Frank Lubey (Rebekkah McIntosh and Levi Bennett).

Tickets are now on sale, and they’re easy to get! See details below…

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