After months of rehearsal and preparation, TAD recreated the world with its recent showing of Arthur Miller’s “The Creation of the World and Other Business.” The production premiered on Wednesday, March 5 in the Redfern Arts Center’s Main Theatre.
The show was performed every day at 7:30 p.m. until March 8, when it had an additional show at 2:30 p.m. The show is a comedic retelling of biblical stories from the first four chapters of the book of Genesis.
Professor Tyler Keyes, who directed the production, said he chose the play due to its relative obscurity compared to Miller’s more famous material.
“Arthur Miller is most famous for ‘The Crucible’ and ‘Death of a Salesman’ and ‘View From the Bridge’,” Keyes said. “When you mention this play to anybody, very few people even know that it exists.”
Keyes said he feels that a more obscure work allows for more creativity.
“I just loved the idea that this script could be something that we could … put it on the map and do some new stuff with it,” Keyes explained.
Keyes indicated that the rehearsal process was somewhat unconventional.
“A huge chunk of our leads got to go to a big performing arts festival towards the beginning of the rehearsal process. As a department, we share rehearsal spaces and performance spaces, so that just meant that people were hopping around a whole bunch,” Keyes said. “The base concept of the show in terms of design shifted more often than it usually would have. The way that everybody in the cast and the design production team was able to adapt was so spectacular and then made even those, what you would call ‘difficult circumstances,’ made them bearable and made it possible for us to still put up a great show.”
Senior Wilson Hines, who played God in this production, spoke to the challenges of taking on such a monumental role.
“That’s been my venture throughout the production, figuring out how you play this person that everybody knows but has never really met,” Hines said. Hines talked about how he took notes from pop culture depictions of God, citing “Bruce Almighty” as an influence in trying to lean into the modern take that Keyes hoped to achieve.
“I really like the way he’s written because he’s on his high horse,” Keyes said. “He thinks he’s perfect and he wants to be perfect but he’s clearly not. And when things don’t go his way very quickly he gets insecure about it.”
Keeping with the intent to make this production new and unique, the decision was made to have Lucifer’s role split among three actors: Junior Caroline Catino, sophomore Julia Dube and first-year Janet Sesay.
“There are three personalities that are all a part of the same character,” said Keyes, who describes the three as a cheerleader, academic and tempter. The director saw the use of three actors as an opportunity to showcase more talent onstage and to employ more choreography. Hines said he was delighted by the choice, saying it was “exactly what the show needs.”
Senior Peter St. Germain, who attended Thursday night’s performance, said he was intrigued by the show.
“It was very different, but it kind of makes you think a little bit,” said St. Germain.
May Cassidy can be contacted at
mcassidy@kscequinox.com
