Designed by Chad Parker
Daniel Wallen
Reporter
March 17, 2006
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Sophomore Gigi Urgo stars in Milligan's
production of 'Proof.' Designed by Chad Parker |
On Wednesday March 15, the Milligan spring play “Proof” premiered at Sub 7.
Professor of Theatre Dick Major is directing the production, which will play through tomorrow evening.
“The company has been taking nice strides forward with their work and tonight they truly nailed it,” Major said about Wednesday’s performance. “I’m looking forward to seeing how the show will grow over the next few days.”
Junior stage manager Caitlin Smith concurred with Major.
“While attendance was lower than we would have liked, the audience we had was extremely responsive,” Smith said.
Sophomore theatre major Gigi Urgo portrays Catherine, the lead female role. The cast also includes junior film studies and theatre major Tyler Simmons as Hal, and senior servant leadership major Lindsey Vogt as Catherine’s sister, Claire.
Equity Guest Artist Derek Davidson plays Robert, a mathematician and Catherine’s father.
Major met Davidson at Barter Theatre in the winter of 2003 while on sabbatical. They performed together in “1776” and “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest” at Barter Theatre in the summer of 2004.
“Derek was in need of some work this spring and I knew he would be a good match for us and for the production,” Major said, and added that the students involved in the production have learned much from Davidson throughout rehearsals and performances.
The play occurs throughout one weekend. The plot focuses on Catherine (Urgo), who has grown somewhat troubled after several years of caring for her brilliant but unstable father, Robert (Davidson). Catherine does not know what to do with herself after her father’s sudden death.
Hal (Simmons) is a former student of Robert’s who wishes to search the mathematician’s notebooks for any remaining brilliant and valuable work.
Catherine also must deal with her sister Claire (Vogt) who wants Catherine to come with her to New York.
Vogt said that while understanding the mathematics involved makes the play more fun, “you certainly don’t have to be a mathematician to understand it. The human story is what makes “Proof” relevant to everyone at Milligan.”
Smith also feels that the play is much more than a mere “play about math.”
“The script goes so much deeper than numbers and formulas,” Smith said. “This story is about relationships: fathers and daughters, sisters, and lovers.”
Getting into character was not a challenge for Vogt, the older of two sisters.
“It helped me explore the relationship with my own sister and shed some light on our relationship,” she said. “I was then able to take my real love and concern for her and apply it to my interactions with Catherine on stage.”
The play will be performed today and tomorrow at Sub 7. The box office will open at 7:30 p.m., with the play beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $8. A special performance will take place at 2 p.m. tomorrow, with tickets costing $5 for faculty, staff, and students associated with Milligan or Emmanuel.
“Proof,” written by David Auburn, won the 2001 Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize.