新澳门六合彩资料

KENNESAW, Ga. | Sep 22, 2020

Play charts woman鈥檚 journey from depression to rock climbing

新澳门六合彩资料 College of the Arts Department of Theatre and Performance Studies (TPS) will present L.M. Feldman鈥檚 鈥淕race, or the Art of Climbing鈥� September 29 through October 4. All performances will be streamed live for free through Arts新澳门六合彩资料Virtual; a simple  registration is all that is required to watch online.
Faced with a painful chapter in her life and fighting depression, Emm enters the world of competitive rock-climbing. Her quest through physical training and personal relationships charts the journey of a young woman suspended between love and loss, strength and fear, and the ardor and grace of being human.

Director Emily Kitchens said, 鈥淭hrough the discovery of the strength within her body, Emm finds strength in her soul. The real journey is from isolation, separation, loneliness and depression to trust in others in connecting, to strengthening the connection in all of its forms. We can all find ourselves on this journey.鈥�

Kitchens spoke to the cast on the first day of rehearsal, over Zoom, and said, 鈥淚t does not elude me that our heroine Emm鈥檚 first words are 鈥業 need to move. Not location. My body. I think I need to climb. Up. A lot.鈥� It does not elude me that our bodies are vulnerable, separate, and have been kept in and small鈥�it does not elude me that our spirits are beaten and busted up on the floor. We, too, need to move, and we have a long way to go. Yet, this piece can be an instructional guide for us, as we, too, are living on a rock during these times. I see hope that we鈥檒l take care of each other and keep each other safe鈥攑hysically, mentally, and emotionally.鈥�  

One way that Kitchens kept the actors safe was through climbing training, and 新澳门六合彩资料鈥檚 Department of stepped in to help prepare the actors for their vertical ascents. The staff members even opened the gym after hours several times so that the actors had plenty of practice on the 15鈥� bouldering wall and 47鈥� climbing tower. Kitchens said, 鈥淪ome of what you will see is 鈥榬eal鈥� climbing, and some of it is more in the realm of dance, taking the expression of climbing, and making it theatrical.鈥�

, chair of the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies, said, 鈥淭he story of 鈥楪race, or the Art of Climbing,鈥� is an engaging story that provides the opportunity to explore a compelling story about how people push through difficult situations. And, because it involves rock climbing on stage, it allows us to explore fully the extent of three dimensions on stage, which is not only visually dynamic for storytelling, but also makes it possible to observe social distancing.鈥�

Besides the physical obstacles of climbing, TPS had another huge challenge: how to stage a play safely in a pandemic. Many rehearsals were held on Zoom, and not only is there an understudy for the main character, but there is an entire understudy cast, ready to take the stage if fellow actors fall ill. Everyone wears masks and blocking, or planning where actors stand physically on stage, took social distancing into account. Every turn, actors were washing their hands and wiping things down. Only a few actors were allowed on stage at a time. Finally, there would be no live audience in the Stillwell Theater. 鈥淚t will be interesting for the actors to perform without a live audience, without knowing how the audience is reacting, without feeding off an audience鈥檚 energy,鈥� said Kitchens.

The experiment may be helped by the fact that the production is fully costumed, and the set is designed with a functional climbing wall. 鈥淭his is an exchange of energy in space, and we are gaining something that was lost. We have to do our best to make this accessible, and I hope the audience feels connected in some way, especially during these times when we鈥檙e all experiencing more isolation and separateness,鈥� said Kitchens.

She added, 鈥淚 love that the play doesn鈥檛 mean that everything is joyful and happy all of the time, but rather, how can I do this? I am seeing how I can make it through. In our world, today, if we can access that, it鈥檚 hope.鈥�

TPS will be offering talkbacks after each performance, including Q&As with the cast, design team, and playwright. Additional talkbacks will focus on depression awareness, led by 新澳门六合彩资料鈥檚 , and rock-climbing culture, led by 新澳门六合彩资料鈥檚 Department of 

--Kathie Beckett