Production’s two-weekend run starts Oct. 16
By Paige Monopoli
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| The cast and crew for URI Theatre’s “Proof” gather together in advance of their play’s production starting Oct. 16. “Proof” offers URI students and audiences a chance to consider what we owe our families, how we measure intellectual achievement and what it means to truly see another person. |
When Jimmy Calitri returned to University of Rhode Island Theatre Department to direct David Auburn’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Proof,” he knew he was taking on a story with more than intellectual depth.
For Calitri, who first discovered his passion for directing
as a URI undergraduate, the play’s exploration into family, grief, caregiving,
mental illness and gender equality offered an opportunity to create the kind of
intimate, thought-provoking theater he values most. Unlike the large-scale
musicals he often directs, “Proof” is a four-character drama; one Calitri was
eager to take on because of the depth of its material.
“This play will most importantly shed light on mental illness and our responsibility toward anyone with any such illness. It’s about understanding dementia and the decision to be responsible for that person with it,” Calitri said. “Also, this play is about how we process grief. The goal is for the audience and actors alike to identify with the characters and to either have it be therapeutic for them if they experienced similar situations or to understand it if they never previously experienced it.”
Set on the back porch of a Chicago home in 2006, “Proof” follows Catherine, a 25-year-old woman who has spent five years caring for her father, a brilliant mathematician whose career has been derailed by cognitive decline. After his death, Catherine must navigate her complicated relationship with her sister, Claire, her father’s former student Hal and questions surrounding her own intellectual abilities. At the story’s center is a question of whose accomplishments, and whose voices, are valued.
The production’s intimate setting in the Fine Arts Center’s
J-Studio allows the audience to experience these themes up close. With only
four primary characters and an audience situated close to the actors, the
production invites viewers into the complicated relationships at the heart of
the story. That intimacy also gives URI students an opportunity to engage
deeply with characters who are close to their own age. Calitri sees the
production as a chance for students to explore situations that feel immediate and
relatable, while grappling with questions that extend well beyond the stage.
Princess Johnson, a URI senior theatre student, served as
assistant director over the summer, and submitted “Proof” for consideration.
After auditions, Johnson found herself playing the lead character in a play she
loves. Calitri said her perspective has already helped deepen the production’s
approach to Catherine’s story.
“I worked hard prepping for auditions and took a step back
from AD so I could audition with no insider knowledge. I got to think about
what ‘I’ as a director would look for in the audition and callback room and got
to apply that to my own audition,” Johnson said. “When I found out I actually
got the role of Catherine, I was so excited. Now I get to tell Catherine’s
story in such depth that hopefully connects with all of our audiences. It feels
very full circle, and my heart feels so full getting to do all of this while
having had experiences on both sides of my concentration.”
The College of Arts and Sciences emphasizes
interdisciplinary learning, and “Proof” is an excellent vehicle to demonstrate
that. Calitri plans to collaborate with faculty from URI’s women’s studies,
mathematics, physics and nursing communities to help students
understand the material, in addition to participating in talk-backs after
performances.
“URI Theatre is thrilled to welcome audiences to the new
Fine Arts Center and the Tony-award winning play ‘Proof’ by David Auburn. This
is an exciting artistic adventure for URI Theatre; known for our large-scale
musicals and Shakespeare productions, ‘Proof’ is an intimate portrait of a
family, depicted by four actors only – a rarity for college theatre,” said
Rachel Walshe, professor and the Theatre Department’s interim chair.
Calitri’s goal for “Proof” is simple: to use theatre to open
conversations and create greater understanding across people with varying
experiences and perspectives. With its intimate scale and expansive themes,
“Proof” offers URI students and audiences a chance to consider what we owe our
families, how we measure intellectual achievement and what it means to truly
see another person.
“Proof” runs October 16-17, 21-24 at 7:30 p.m. and
October 18 and 25 at 2 p.m. in the J. Studio at the Fine Arts Center, 105 Upper
College Road, Kingston Campus. Tickets are $22 for the general public and $20
for senior citizens and URI students, faculty and staff. Tickets can be
purchased online, by calling (401) 874-5843 or at the box office in Room 101H
of the Fine Arts Center.
CAST
Catherine – Princess Johnson
Robert – Isaiah Agabi
Claire – Abraphine Ngafaih
Hal – Jake DeShiro
This press release was written ,
communications coordinator for the University of Rhode Island College of Arts
and Sciences.