KRISTOFER HARRIS
Staff Writer
This upcoming weekend, members of the campus and community can witness the mysterious “The Illusion,” a play produced by the Department of Theatre and Dance as part of the Walter Gloor Mainstage Series.
The play is the work of American playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner, which is adapted from the 17th century play “L’Illusion Comique” by Pierre Corneille. Kushner’s other works include Academy Award-nominated films such as 2005’s “Munich” and 2012’s “Lincoln,” starring Daniel Day-Lewis. In “The Illusion” Fredonia students will take on the words of Kushner with his powerful and contemporary writing style.
Directed by professor Jessica Hillman-McCord, “The Illusion” tells the story of Pridamant, a lawyer of Avignon who now seeks the whereabouts of his son who left home many years ago. For this mission, Pridamant seeks the help of the sorceress Alcandre. Alcandre displays the fate of the lawyer’s son in a series of illusions, hence the name of the show. With the nature of illusions, audience will be constantly misdirected with its meta storytelling style.
James T. Lillin, a senior BFA acting, English and women and gender’s study major who plays Pridamant, explained the character and the situation he is in. (Editor’s Note: Lillin is a Staff Writer for The Leader.)
“Pridamant has a dark, painful past in which he almost destroyed his only child, and now seeks redemption. He begs Alcandre to help him find his son, whom he has been searching for for years, and gets more than he bargains for,” said Lillin.
Taking place within the Rockefeller Arts Center’s Bartlett Theater, showgoers will be fully engrossed in the play as it takes place in a black box setting. The overall set features huge stone constructions with characters wearing ornate 17th century costumes.
Students came in a week early during the winter to prepare for the show, beginning with simple table readings and then going into blocking rehearsals. Amy Gruttadauria, a junior theatre arts and audio radio production major and stage manager of the play, found the process of putting the show together challenging yet extremely satisfying.
“While putting the show together I usually feel pretty stressed, but it’s the good productive kind of stress that lets me do my best work. It is always rewarding to see the show at its best, and I’m here to make sure it can be that way,” says Gruttadauria.
Shawn Sprankle, a senior BA theatre arts major, serves as the dramaturg of the show, a literary editor on the staff of the production who consults with authors and edits texts. Spankle feels that viewer will be able to connect to some of the ideas displayed in the play.
“The show’s main characters are predominantly caught up in a web of manipulating one another to achieve their own desired end, whether that be realistic or not. Social media and the inter-connectivity of the modern world produces a very similar experience that just about anyone can relate to,” Sprankle said.
Lillin added that the show could be appreciated by audiences for any number of reasons.
“The show is hilarious, tragic and powerful all at once. It deals with universal themes of love, loss, redemption and fatherhood. Audiences can expect to laugh, cry and leave blown away by the magic and poignancy of the show.”
“The Illusion” has two runs in the Bartlett Theatre. The first run is Feb. 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. The second run goes from March 2-4 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be picked up at the ticket office and are $12 for students and $20 for the general public.