The current production of “Arcadia” at Shaver Theatre explores the connections between many aspects of humanity. Tom Stoppard’s 1993 play follows two generations of people, one in the present day searching for the answer to a mystery, and one in the past who lived within it.
The University’s production, directed by professor George Judy, gives undergraduates the opportunity to work alongside graduate students and industry professionals. The play began its run on Feb. 16 and will go until Feb. 25.
In the past, Thomasina Coverly delves into unproven mathematical concepts under the eye of her tutor, Septimus Hodge. In the present, writer Hannah Jarvis investigates the mystery of the hermit of Sidley Park, while academic Bernard Nightingale investigates Lord Byron’s whereabouts while he stayed there.
“The cast was very welcoming overall, which I was a little nervous about because I was the undergrad coming into the show,” said theatre junior Kate Zenor, who plays character Thomasina. “I was a little worried about that but no, we have a lot of fun. We cut up a lot. We laugh.”
The audience can expect to laugh – for all the lofty concepts presented, the play remains lighthearted. It kicks off with a dirty joke and the rumor of an affair.
“This is a saucy play,” said graduate student Emily Gray, who plays character Chloe Coverly. “Everybody is sleeping with everybody. It’s like a reality television show, but with math.”
Professor Vince LiCata, playwright and biological scientist at the University, acted as consulting dramaturg for the production. Cast members said he embodies an idea that struck several of the actors working on “Arcadia.”
“There’s always been a division between arts and the sciences, and what Tom Stoppard did by bringing the two together just blows my mind,” said graduate student Sarah Nansubuga, who acted as understudy for Thomasina. “I can make science dramatic. I can make it matter to people and make that watchable.”
Certain characters merit special interest due to their unusual personalities. Thomasina is a young mathematical prodigy of the past. Gus Coverly, played by theatre sophomore Noah Smith, is a young aristocrat of the present and does not say a single line.
One line of the play, said by Erica Fox as character Hannah Jarvis, resonated with several members of the cast, as well as the director.
“That quote, ‘It’s wanting to know that makes us matter,’ boils it all down, the reason why we do it all,” Smith said. “The reason why we, theatrical artists, continue performing plays, and why SpaceX is sending rockets into space. It’s because that desire to understand, from the very massive universe to the small everyday life of a human being.”
The play’s appeal does not solely lie with Stoppard’s writing. The cast and crew bring this incarnation of “Arcadia” and its aesthetic through original pieces composed by Glenn Aucoin and tailor-made visuals.
“There’s so much eye candy in terms of the set, the costumes, some of the people,” Gray said.
Judy said he believes “Arcadia” contains special importance for the University’s audience. He said he hopes not only that students come out to see the play, but they take something away from the experience.
“Wanting to dig deeper into life and their relationships and into themselves – I think that’s at the heart of the play,” Judy said. “This idea of the thirst for knowledge, truth, beauty, about ourselves and about the world the world that we live in. I think that’s a great message to send right now, when our world is chaotic and we’re seeking ways to find moments of truth and order within the chaos that we’re all living in all the time.”