In 2011, University theater professor George Judy directed the award-winning play “August: Osage County” for Swine Palace.
Since then, the play has met success, and has been made into a film. The film is currently playing in Baton Rouge theaters, and it stars an ensemble cast, including Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and Ewan McGregor. The movie has also been successful and is a staple of the award season nominee lists.
Though the play has gone on to different places, when it premiered in the Swine Palace, it had a great effect on Judy.
The play tells the story of family members reuniting in the wake of their father’s tragic suicide. It focuses the intimate moments within the family, and it uses dark humor in these powerful moments.
Judy said he was thrilled with the Swine Palace production, and the way they had developed the characters.
“We managed to create fully-dimensional people who did and said these nasty things and made us wonder in the audience how we were just like them in some ways,” Judy said via email.
Judy said the play resonated with him in the way it portrayed harsh family dramas in both a serious and darkly-comedic manner.
“I also found the characters extreme but human and the “truth-telling” incredibly funny and imagined many scenes in my own family reunions when the truth was available but never expressed and the harrowing absurdity that would have ensued, had it been spoken,” Judy said.
Judy said he has not seen the film, but he imagines it will miss the mark with some of its messages.
“It plays into the viciousness of the characters without really exploring what led to that viciousness,” he said. “It misses the fundamental humanity of the characters, and the audience. It lets us off the hook too easily, if we just think they are a bunch of nasty damaged folks.”
Swine Palace is a non-profit, professional company, which strives to bring great performances to the University and the city.
The resurging popularity of former Swine Palace productions like “August: Osage County,” indicates theater fans should pay close attention to future performances.
Swine Palace’s new season begins with another showing of the summer production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” This season also includes the world premiere of “Spill,” a play that follows the aftermath of the BP oil spill. Judy said that the play will show the audience how the oil spill changed the lives of the people of Louisiana.
To see show times and to buy tickets, go to swinepalace.org.
“We managed to create fully-dimensional people who did and said these nasty things and made us wonder in the audience how we were just like them in some ways.”