Photo courtesy of Sabrina Notarfrancisco.
Many of Conn’s academic departments have faced challenges this semester, whether that entails deserting in-person lectures, getting creative in the transition to remote labs, or battling internet connectivity during class discussions. But for theater majors, the pandemic has been particularly dire: for how do you stage a play in the age of the coronavirus?
“With lots of hand sanitizer,” jokes Erin Flannagan ‘24, a member of the early October production of 7/25, a show written by Conn alum Ana Daniela Reyes-Rosado ‘20 that dives deep into issues of police brutality, censorship, and colonialism.
The show tells the real-life tale of two young Puerto-Rican activists who were murdered by police after attempting to broadcast a pro-nationalist message to their country’s population via radio tower. The production detailed the media and political cover-up that followed and the dangerous climate created during the area’s oppressive Gag Law that spurred the duo to take their stand.
“It’s poignant and theatrical activism at its finest,” says Will Hite ‘22, who played one of the killing’s key witnesses: a taxi driver losing sight of the truth as he’s repeatedly interrogated by a group of corrupt officers. Despite being penned before the events of this summer, the show mirrors our current era all too well, bringing up the same themes of institutionalized violence and injustice that we are finally seeing highlighted in our news feeds today. “Aside from being a story about the events that led to the horrific incident that occured on July 25th, 1978,” Katherine Hurst ‘22—who plays one of the show’s villains, an undercover agent plotting the demise of the activists—adds, “this is also a performance that allows us all, audience and performers alike, to reflect on our own potential for violence.” Naomi Miller ‘22, who plays Quico, a young revolutionary on the opposing side of the struggle, agrees. “Every character: the revolutionary, the traitor, the authority, the educator, the parent, all had to confront either the oppression perpetrated by themselves or perpetrated against them. And the audience wasn’t exempt from this.”
But there were challenges outside of tackling the heavy subjects found within the script, for the actors have also had to grapple with new hurdles unique to this semester. “The most difficult aspect of performing during a pandemic is not being able to touch other actors, or even be close to them,” says Lara Beckius ‘24, echoing what many of the performers admitted their greatest struggle was as well. Performers wore masks throughout the show and interacted with each other from a strict, six-foot distance. For some actors, this enforced empty space conflicted with the behavior of their characters. Becca Collins ‘21, for example, played Arnie, one of the young revolutionaries who ends the show a martyr alongside his best friend Quico (Naomi Miller ‘22). “In the stage directions of the play, there are many times when we embrace” she comments, “however as actors, we had to create that same intimacy without the actual physicality.” Jordan Galloway ‘22 struggled with a similar issue in portraying the play’s antagonistic and ruthless chief of police. “Normally when not in a pandemic, after a heavy scene we can all hug and apologize,” she admits. “But in a pandemic, even after the scene was over, I was still left in an isolated world.”
For writer Ana Reyes-Rosado ‘20 and Associate Director & Sound Designer Andre Thomas ‘20, this problem was magnified to an even greater extent. For neither of these producers were able to step foot on campus throughout the entire production, after having been forced to abandon the venture—originally their senior capstone—last semester at the unexpected outbreak of the pandemic. “I didn’t want to miss any opportunity to work on this project,” Thomas ‘20 admits, “regardless of how [or when] it would be presented.”
The production was held in the courtyard behind the Plex, a space known as the ‘fishbowl’, with silicon dots and Puerto Rican flags marking where audience members were allowed to sit. One showing was forced to reschedule due to the forecast, however actors still managed to find optimism in this unconventional theatric environment.
“Because we weren’t in a box with four walls, the energy that the actors were expelling had to reach to further places,” comments Brielle Blood ‘24 who played Rami, an activist and narrator holding the media and audience alike accountable for remembering the truth of what really happened on that fateful, forgotten day. In this respect, performing outdoors meant that actors had to pack even more power behind their lines for fear that, like those Puerto Rican rebels, their words would also be lost to the wind. “No stage lights or overt theatricality forced me to remain extremely vulnerable and present,” admits Collins ‘21. “The fourth wall was down.”
For other actors, it was the chance to perform anywhere at all that came as the most welcome relief. “Leaving high school without a senior production made me worry that my theater career was over,” admits first-year Beckius, who found joy in the chance to still participate in in-person dramaturgy. And the weather, though against the crew on occasion, became itself a piece of the production. “On Sunday it was really cold and dark so when I was being interrogated, I could imagine myself in a cold, dark room,” describes Hite, “and on Wednesday it was warm but the sun was really bright so I imagined the police were shining a big light in my eyes as they questioned me.”
Seeing it this past Thursday, I found the play to leave its viewers haunted by its stormy but relevant message. While the show came to a close and dusk overtook the sky, audiences were left with a bittersweet feeling, one that matched the mixing heat of summer’s end with the frosty chill of the oncoming winter. 7/25 tells a sad tale, but it doesn’t tell a hopeless one.
“Being a part of such a political play has really inspired me to become more educated about current issues,” says Flannagan, mentioning that the play has the intriguing position of aligning with her first voting opportunity. The show’s ties to our modern environment were particularly striking. The two Puerto-Rican activists featured in 7/25 were willing to endanger themselves for their beliefs and the chance to enact change within their flawed surroundings. And we all have the ability to follow their lead today, simply by filling out our ballots. •
