Photo courtesy of Jamie Morrison/Unsplash.
A few weekends ago, Conn’s theater department put on Passage, written by Christopher Chen. The play is inspired by the book Passage to India by E. M. Foster. Professor Ken Prestinizi of the Theater department directed Passage after being inspired by the SOHO Rep performance he saw this past summer. In his own words, Prestinizi describes the production as “a sharply rendered and surprising take on colonialism past and present. In Country X, scenes of daily life are revealed to be paradoxically welcoming and troubling. Characters on both sides of the power divide try to find a human connection while living in a continuously unjust world. Friendship and affection may arise naturally, but what happens when the rules of dominance and social interactions break us apart? Chen’s provocative theatrical riff on E. M. Forster’s novel A Passage to India “re-imagines occupation without the romance of imperial nostalgia.” When asked why he decided to bring the play to campus, Prestinizi pointed to the overarching theme guiding our school this year: Social Difference and Power.
Ken explained that the performance shows “how colonialism [is] living in us in the here and now and is not just something in the past that we are no longer living out.” Passage showcases colonization, yet the play is ambiguous about the countries and characters which are both referred to by single letters. This ambiguity allows the audience to connect their personal experiences with the play. Prestinizi integrated examples of colonialism through costuming, set design, and audio effects. He wanted to bring colonization to the present, citing the protests in Hong Kong. In fact, some of the audio heard in the production was taken from the recent Hong Kong protests.
The ensemble was cast before the script was selected, as Prestinizi wanted to choose the play based on his cast in order to “bring out certain skills talents positioning and political thought that might be interesting to that group.” Roles were not chosen until students were able to read various parts to see which character would fit them best. The rehearsals were vigorous and time-consuming. When I asked students about how they handled practice with their workload, I was bombarded with stories of reviewing flashcards in between scenes and essay writing while doing stage makeup. Ryan DeAngelis ‘22 explained the extreme stress the play put on them. While they found a new depth and emotion that they were previously unable to achieve, the emotional toll that it took on them was overwhelming. By “giving myself to the role, I ended up giving away too much to the point where I did not have enough for myself,” explained Ryan. Surprised and concerned, Professor Prestinizi asked Ryan if they had regretted the role. Ryan quickly clarified that they did not regret the show, as it was a huge learning experience in their acting career. However, they need to learn how to protect themselves from surrendering too much to a role.
Lorena De Leon ‘22 had never acted in a play before, let alone in a college production. She decided to audition for the performance after taking a playwriting class with Professor Prestinizi, who recommended she audition. I asked her why she decided to try out, but before Lorena could explain, cast members came together around her interrupting with compliments. Her castmates and director told me that acting came so naturally to her. Lorena explained that “[her] favorite part was coming together as a cast and really having a creation of a family it was interesting [for her] to see, that after a short six weeks, of spending time together how much [the cast] bonded and got to know each other.” By the end of the interview, I didn’t have to ask any more questions, as it was clear that the ensemble had become fast friends and Professor Prestinizi appreciated every cast member. Kiara Rivera ‘21 and Scarlett Diaz-Power ‘20, both members of the cast, shared the growth of their relationship while rehearsing together and being scene partners. I felt as though I was intruding on the very intimate experience that is acting together, bonding, and challenging each other.
“There is no perfection in theater,” explains Prestinizi. The ensemble was proud of the final performance but acknowledged that performers are rarely completely happy with their final product and can always learn from their experiences. Sitting in Coffee Grounds in a comfy circle of couches, I observed a beautiful connection between a faculty member and a group of students with very different interests who had found a connection to each other through theater. Everyone was uplifting each other through compliments and made sure to tell me the achievements of their peers. I asked for everyone to give me their least favorite part of their experience; I heard a few small complaints about tedious table readings immediately followed by funny anecdotes and an explanation of why these less than exciting moments were crucial to the final performance and thus ultimately worth it. One question I asked over and over again: what had everyone learned from this experience? I was expecting to hear about the development of acting skills, which of course is a large part of the learning experience. Instead, I was given these responses: collaboration skills, time management, the ability to be inspired by others, and the knowledge of how to support an ensemble as a whole. •
