UMD's Dear Finder Packs a Mighty Message
Dennis Kempton
Duluth News Tribune
October 11, 2018
The poet Emily Dickinson once wrote, “The mind was built for mighty freight.” It is within the spirit of this quote that the latest iteration of Dear Finder, written by Tom Isbell, Valerie Buel, Denise Dawson, Jamison Haase, Kourtney Kaas, Julie MacIver, Andrew Nelson and Julie Unulock, dwells as it opened Thursday night at the Marshall Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota Duluth.
The provenance of the play is well known by now within our community, so there’s no need to delve into it. The rightful focus is on these stories told on stage by a group of students riding on a freight train of their own into the storytelling of the Holocaust.
I’ve not seen the previous productions of this play, so I have nothing to compare. The impact was jarring, deeply disturbing and, at moments, almost propelled me from my seat into the lobby to gasp for breath.
That’s all due to the 16 actors on stage. More a dramatic witnessing and retelling of survivor stories and the rise of German National Socialism than a traditional play, the actors are taking raw, jagged cuts of real life and throwing them down before the audience, in a manner that, directorially, is more confrontational than entertaining.
It’s a necessary and vital direction. In this load of mighty freight, there’s no place for nuance. And the actors refuse to give it to those in the house seats.
The scenic design by Ashley Ann Woods is a slab tableau of gray, iron, dirt and despair, punctuated dramatically and with haunting precision by Jon Brophy’s lighting design. Notable is a scene where the actors play out prisoners in a cattle car on their way to die at Auschwitz. Brophy’s lighting cast an almost yolky yellow fog of light around them while stripes of dull white light flashed in front of the actors. The effect of movement was powerful and full of foreboding. The dirt on stage is its own powerful property. The actors use it to maximum effect, causing one to recoil, cry and rage at the carnage acted out on it, throughout the play.
Rachel Williams turns in a riveting performance, assuming the role of a survivor of one of the many death camps. As she recounts, in a lengthy and masterfully delivered monologue of falling into a pit of the dead and wounded, feigning death in order to survive, the tension in the theater increased noticeably. The ability to pull that much power from the stage is just one reason every actor is important.
Amanda Hennen, as the prosecutor, and assuming other ensemble appearances during the documentary storytelling, is also a captivating presence on stage. Her delivery rises from bold questioning and indignation to the near whispers of a woman who can barely believe what she’s charged with unearthing.
I wanted a stronger performance in Anna Matthes and Addison Sim as the reporter and playwright, respectively. The contrast in passion between the two and the rest of the cast was noticeable. It was the only weakness in a production of considerable passion and total commitment to roles.
The play ends with a drumbeat of modern-day offenses mirroring the rise of deadly authoritarianism in Germany, reminding us that history rhymes, in the most stunning revelations.
This is not cultural appropriation. It’s witnessing. And this play is still vitally necessary, year by year, victim by victim. It’s the definition of how theater can transform through the ages. It would usually be hyperbolic for one to say they were undone by the performance. But, I am.
Dear Finder Play Review
ReplyDeleteJulianna Sellwood
Tonight, was a showing of Dear Finder at the Marshall Performing Arts Center. This performance captivated the horrors of the holocaust and conveyed to the audience that we have not learned the “never again” lesson from this atrocity. The performance’s purpose was to express that society needs to be reminded of how humans are capable of committing horrific acts and we as people need to work towards a more inclusive and accepting world regardless of race, gender or religion.
Specifically, the actors in the play were incredible. Their inflection of their lines and their raw emotions consumed the audience. The room felt heavy and silent throughout the entire play. Everyone in the crowd was immersed in the pain and horror that truly occurred during the holocaust. Some of the actors played characters who told stories from specific scenarios that they survived during the holocaust. These personal stories made the performance more real and the audience could almost feel what that character was experiencing.
In addition to the amazing actors, the scenery, lights, dirt and effects made the play even more credible and realistic. There was a pit of dirt located at the front of the stage and this was a crucial prop for the performance. This dirt pit demonstrated the labor the Jews had to do and the pits that they were killed in. The actors were shot and then proceeded to bury each other in the dirt. This moment in the play made the entire audience not even breath. This whole concept was so shocking and hard to wrap one’s mind around that it actually occurred not even 80 years ago.
During the play, there were snippets of clues, such as the teeth being the reason the play was happening and the meaning behind the trial. At the end of the performance, everything made sense. All of the clues and anecdotes of characters lined up to portray one message. Everything tied together, and all questions were answered.
Overall, the play was a great success. The message the performance was sending was clearly conveyed, the actors made the audience feel as if they were a part of the trauma, and everything was tied together in the end. This play has the potential to greatly impact people and help change our society.
Dear FInder 2018
ReplyDeleteNathan Lusty
Thursday night was the grand opening of Dear Finder 2018 in Marshell Performing arts center. Dear Finder was once again performed for the third time in three decades, and once again with a different twist. A story about not only the jews being apart of the Holocaust but involving all kinds of people that were involved. The intended message in thursday's performance was a message that stands true to today's world and our society. Dear Finder’s message to its viewers was “never again”. Never again meaning, that in today's society people discriminate people based on their religion, sex, race, and more.
First of all, how the actors related to the audience was amazing. In this story, a large part of the play is actors talking directly to the audience and this cast did so with amazing passion and confidence. When the actors would talk directly at the audience it would bring chills down some’s necks and goosebumps on their arms. The passion the cast brought to this performance enhanced the message to a new level, just by listing to the actors tell their story in the way they did show the audience that the really did care about this play. When a cast can relate to one another like they have a history with each other makes the play flow so much better. That is exactly what the cast of Dear Finder did, being able to do doesn't distract the audience and allows them to focus on the true meaning of what is going on. The experience the cast provided enhanced the audiences’ experience.
Along with how the cast performed, the directing and writing of this play was incredible. Past performances there has been an intermission but as learned in Mark Harvey's theater class, an intermission can cause the audience to become distracted and take them out of what is going on and make them forget the message being told. Being able to keep the audience in the theater and keep them engaged helped this play and pass on the message. The way the play related to present day allowed us to relate to the play more personally and get the true message, never again.
Throughout the play, there were clues that made the audience think to them selfs how is this related to what is going on. That kept the audience engaged and eager to see what was coming next.
In conclusion, the opening night of Dear Finder was a very pleasant play to watch because of how well the actors and cast made the audience feel engaged and enhanced the audience's experience. How Dear Finder was written made it relate to the tragic things that happened during the Holocaust and present-day challenges we all face and see every day.
A Review of Dear Finder 2018
ReplyDeleteBy Libby Haggerty
The latest production of Dear Finder was a success. On opening night, the audience gave a standing ovation at the end of the play! Needless to say, the viewing was very worthwhile.
The Survivors were the best part of the performance. Each one of them was truly connected to their characters through their tears and bleeding smiles. They were completely in sync with each other during their clapping and marching as Nazis. Their voices had wonderful diction and astounding projection during their interjections.
Moreover, one actor stood out from the rest. Rachel Williams performed an extremely emotional monologue near the end of the play. Some audience members were moved to tears as her character recounted her story of survival. This was the highlight of the play.
In addition to the stunning Survivors, the set was critical to this production. The guest scenic designer, Ashley Ann Woods, aimed for a simplistic, yet multipurpose setting and hit her mark. The decision to have the actors playing Survivors stand as mannequins in the museum was a nice touch. The transitions from scene to scene, location to location was masterfully organized. There were very few hiccups if any at all. Using the space directly in front of and surrounding the audience allowed viewers to truly see and understand the brutality of the Holocaust.
According to the Dramaturg, Katie Keller, all of the actors were chosen “because of their technical abilities as actors and empathy as people.” Addison Sim is the exception to this notion. He was qualified to act as the Playwright for this docudrama. His counterpart, Anne Matthes, tried her best to receive any shift in tone from Sim. Nonetheless, he lacked emotion onstage. His voice was was monotone for the entirety of his performance.
It should be noted that Dear Finder 2018 was excellent overall. The majority of the actors were believable and the set was invaluable. This story needs to be told and performed nationwide.
Review of Dear Finder, Notes by: Walter Eakman
ReplyDeleteThe 2018 production of Dear Finder was as astounding as it was horrifying and soul breaking. Director Tom Isbell and the production's amazing cast with thorough dedication brings to life this story of woe and the true horror of what people really do to other people.
The opening of the play itself is interesting in that the production starts with a reporter interviewing a playwright who had written a play about the holocaust several years earlier, with the reporter being played by actress Anna Matthes, and the playwright being played by actor Addison Sim, also vital to the introduction is the fact that the interview is taking place in a history museum, with artifacts regarding the holocaust, the introduction is made even more dramatic with the use of actual human actors playing mannequins in the museum in a display depicting the transport of dozens of people in a cattle car bound for Auschwitz concentration camp, one of the most notorious death camps of the holocaust where it is estimated that at least 1.1 million people died. Before the playwright and the reporter actually begin to speak there is a brief scene where a group of people are walking around the museum with audio tapes for the exhibits, these horrific recordings regarding the sheer scales of killings, and infamous quotes by Nazi officials are then played out loud, thereby establishing for the audience the mood and setting of the play before any actor has even spoken.
One particularly horrific scene is that regarding the Babi Yar massacre outside of Kiev. In this scene a survivor of the massacre, played by Rachel Williams explains how she only survived by pretending to be dead, and the horror she felt of trying not to suffocate under other dead bodies and having to push them out of the way, about how when she eventually got away, a little boy who had also survived, was shot and killed as the pair left. this segment of the play is made even more horrific by talking about the following spring, and what the Colonel in charge had to say.
Another interesting part of the play was seeing the tribunal of the commanding officer of a concentration camp, played by Brendan Finn. Also another powerful scene was the depiction of the slow and painful deaths experienced by those executed in the gas chambers at Auschwitz. Particularly powerful is the fact that only towards the end of the play do we learn about the milk cans in the Warsaw Ghetto, and ultimately learn why the play is entitled dear finder.
As the play concludes we listen to the cast list off several major atrocities committed throughout the world as well as in the United States. The production of Dear Finder makes one tremble in fear throughout the performance, and brings to the audience the pain of the world past and present.
Grace Wolgemuth
ReplyDeleteDear Finder
The production of Dear Finder by UMD’s theater department takes on a very heavy historical event with poise and composure.
All seven students who played the role of a holocaust survivor did a stunning job. They were all able to move the audience to tears and take us to a different time. Paul Icenogle, who played one of the seven survivors, delivered his dialogue at the end of the play with so much emotion, it was felt throughout the auditorium.
Director Tom Isbell originally produced this original docu-drama in 1998 here at UMD, however it has been reproduced by many high schools and other colleges. Isbell also reproduced Dear Finder in 2008, changing small aspects like the scenery. This time, however, Isbell decided to modernize the play completely with the help of scenic designer Ashley Ann Woods. Together they created a perfect scene that progressively deteriorated as time went by.
Not only was the setting adequately produced, but the costumes were authentic and realistic to the time period. The raggedness and disheveled appearance of the captives helped transport the audience to the camps and picture what it was like for the prisoners. The officers uniforms were historically accurate, making it easy to distinguish between the American and Nazi soldiers.
Another very important aspect of the production was the lighting. Jon Brophy did a fantastic job of creating the somber and dark atmosphere during the holocaust. The use of spotlights was also notable, it drew attention to the actor and to their dialog. Another lighting technique that was very impressive was when the prisoners were in the cattle car and every so often you would see a flash of light as if you were really inside the car traveling to the concentration camps.
The use of the flashback convention allowed for the audience to be transported to the past but also know that this is a historical event being portrayed. The other primary convention used in the 2018 production is the breaking of the fourth wall. The actors retold the history of the holocaust at the beginning of the play and then recapped recent events that showed similar actions that were seen during the holocaust at the end of the performance.
This production is the wakeup call our nation needs. Tom Isbell created a historically accurate and thoroughly moving piece of art 20 years ago, and continues to reproduce it with the same amount of emotional impact.
Dear Finder 2018 - Bryana Sherrick
ReplyDeleteOn Thursday, October 18th I attended UMD’s production of Dear Finder at the Marshall Performing Arts Center. This production captivated the audience immediately through their telling of the Holocaust.
First, I thought all of the actors did an unbelievable job of stepping into the characters shoes. Portraying events of the Holocaust is incredibly hard, but I think the actors showed a very high level of respect to those who died, survived and were affected by this genocide. One specific detail, I really enjoyed about the actors was their confidence in speaking. None of them second guessed their lines and spoke their words as if they were living their daily lives. All of the actors seemed very seasoned and grasped who they were playing well.
After learning about conventions in class, I was definitely paying more attention to the unspoken agreements of this production and the audience. I thought an interesting one of this play was how the playwright had the story go back and forth between the director being interviewed in modern time and the actual events of the Holocaust. Another one, I appreciated was the dismissal of having an intermission. Tom Isabel made a terrific call on that, because had there been a break, it would have been hard to walk back in there as the story is very deep and hard to process at times.
My favorite part about the play was the ending. I was unaware of a lot of the events being shouted out and explained and I think it is such an important lesson for our generation to hear. I got chills when the cast dug up the canister, and grabbed the letter from it. Hearing them read the letter saying, “Dear Finder, We must never forget.” really brought the story full circle. I think all of our generation should see this play, as there are so many lessons I learned in this story, that a book never told me.
Overall, I thought this play was such a phenomenal production. The scenery fit the story well, and I really liked the efficiency of the props. There was never a downtime to get distracted or pull yourself out of the story. Going into this play, I thought I was going to leave sad and upset, however the cast made the audience leave on a motivated note. To understand the history our world has gone through, and to move forward so this event never happens again! I highly recommend this production! Well done.
Dear Finder, 2018- UMD Theatre
ReplyDeleteKennedy Buck
Dear Finder, sends a message loud and clear.
Dear Finder, opened at The Marshall Performing Arts Center at the University of Minnesota - Duluth this last Thursday Night. This is the third take on this play. It was performed 20 years, ago, 10 years ago, and a third time this year.
With the powerful story of the Holocaust, the play took a different route on telling this emotional time. With a modern-day museum where a playwright and interviewer tried to make sense of everything how something this bad could go on, and how will we will never be able to put that in a play. I wanted more from the playwright (Addison Sim) and interviewer (Anna Matthes). After the darkening moments from the flashbacks they had to bring us back to the story and understanding of the whole thing and I didn’t get that from them. I wanted them to bring us back to reality.
Other cast members were everything from survivors, prosecutors, soldiers, and defendants. Rachel Williams who took on the role of a survivor did an outstanding job. With her powerful story of surviving the shootings in a long monologue, her performance brought me to tears. Her words made my heart sink into my seat and put a powerful, dark emotion over my body. I could hardly walk after the play.
The dirt. The dirt was such a powerful symbol. The dirt signified the harsh labor the victims had to go through. It was also a crucial part in symbolizing the distraught deaths that the Jews encountered. It put such a heavy emotional pain in my heart. Especially the part when the actors had a scene where they would dig their own graves and then be shot and fall into the pit of dead bodies. The wood that covered the dirt represented Europe and they took away each board that was each country that was being taken over by the Nazi’s.
Overall it was an eye-opening experience. With the lesson of “never again”. The cast brought us back to reality showing that these horrific events that we promised we would never let happen again, we are letting them happen again. With the many shooting, and racists and shameless acts that still happen to this day in our world, yet we are blind to the fact that it is happening.
Anna Troyna
ReplyDeleteOn Thursday October 11th, the Marshall Performing Arts Center held the opening of the play Dear Finder 2018. This year was the 20th anniversary of the play written by Tom Isbell and seven former students here at UMD. This play play was brought back after both the first showing in 1998 and its second in 2008. The performance took us back in time to the frightening days of the Holocaust and reminded us of the atrocious acts that took place during the 1930s and 1940s.
The cast that took part in this production did a wonderful job. Though this was no easy task, they made the performance seem flawless. Each second of the play captivated the audience and the tension in the room was apparent. Each cast member seemed as if they were talking to each member of the audience when speaking about the events that took place. The emotion was so raw as if the members had gone through these horrible events themselves.
The performance from actor Paul Icenogle was riveting. During one point in the play the character turns to the audience and states how people don’t understand what happened during these horrifying times and that they never will truly understand. The moment was breathtaking and so surprising people didn’t know how to react. All the audience could do was sit and watch as this shocking moment unravelled.
The costumes designed by Patricia Dennis were historically accurate and she did a wonderful job. She also did a nice job of portraying the modern clothing of teenagers at the beginning of the play, as well as the end. Her design of the clothing worn by the characters during the 1930s and 1940s accurately depicted what people wore during that time.
The scenic designer Ashley Ann Woods decided to modernize the traditionally rustic scenery. The scenery included four white walls in the background which played an important role in the production. At first these walls were apart of the modern museum, however, as time went by the began to disappear. This gives a more eary and frightening feeling to the play as the white begins to fade and the darkness starts to take over.
The lighting from Jon Brophy was spectacular. He did a wonderful job in contrasting the lighting throughout the performance. His lighting effect with the train car was phenomenal and almost indescribable to the point where it seemed as though the survivors were really in a cattle car. His lighting work to contrast the museum and times during the holocaust were ineffable.The dismal lighting along with the actors emotions did a great job bringing out each actors performance.
The director of the play Tom Isbell did a marvelous job representing what we can only imagine the Holocaust to be like. This scary and horrendous time was not taken lightly in the play, but in a very serious matter as it should be.
The events that took place during the Holocaust are still relevant to this day and people need to know what happened so that this type of thing never happens again. These type of events still happen today, along with acts of racism, sexism, and everything in between.
Anthony Kovacovich
ReplyDeleteThe showing of Dear Finder in the Marshall Performing Arts Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth illustrated the horrors and atrocities that took place during World War II in Nazi Germany. The showing also exclaimed to the audience that we still haven’t gotten the “never again” part from the aftermath of the Holocaust, and what Nazi Germany did to the Jewish people.
The play had an interesting way of presenting the past and the history of the Holocaust to the audience. They started out with people touring a museum about the Holocaust, and then during parts of the play they had a young woman interviewing the director, Tom Isbell, as to WHY he decided to do a play on the Holocaust. Later, during one of their interviews Tom Isbell pointed that recent events have prompted others to question if we have learned from the Holocaust or not, and if we are taking their message of “never again” seriously.
This play has been shown twice before, but with an intermission. This time, Tom Isbell didn’t want an intermission, which was a better decision. It kept the audience engaged, not only in the play, but in their emotions as well as they watched the Jews go through awful tragedies. However, one piece that didn’t really work well was Rachael Williams’ long and not-so-intriguing monologue of a Holocaust survivor. The monologue was necessary, but it did drag on and the audience was starting to disengage. One man even fell asleep during it. A suggestion would be to shorten it up or just take it out and replace it if the play will be shown again later.
Disregarding the monologue, the actors still put on a performance with great impact. Their words were harsh and filled with hatred when they portrayed the Nazis, which made the audience feel as if they should get up and start marching too. The actors also played the Jewish Holocaust prisoners with such raw emotion and emphasis that almost brought the audience to tears, because the diction and tone in their voices cut like a knife.
Jon Brophy’s lighting design was also done exceptionally well. One part that created a vivid impression was when the Jews were cramped in a cattle car on their way to Auschwitz. There was a yellow fog of light surrounding them with flashes of white light that made it seem like the actors were moving in their railcar. This was powerful and significant to include because it showed how dark and depressing it was to be stuck in a railcar where the only time light came in was in little flashes every few seconds.
Another unforgettable part was the big box of dirt that was symbolic in different ways, based on the audience’s interpretation. It played a very powerful role in the play as it showed the final moments of the imprisoned Jews digging their own graves, which gave the audience a look of pain as jaws dropped to watch the unthinkable happen.
The play finishes off with the cast members coming out to the stage as themselves, while they name off other accountings of de-humanization. They wanted to show the audience that history tends to repeat itself. This created the most impact as it made the audience realize that Tom Isbell didn’t direct this play for entertainment. He wanted to make a statement that would stick with the audience long after they left.
Sara Hildreth
ReplyDeleteDear Finder Review
Being aware is the first step. We walk through countless museums, page through hundreds of books, but have you ever seen thousands of bodies piled upon one another, lying lifeless.
Neither has anyone else, and that is why this play is a difficult one to put on.
Everyone has heard the horrors of the holocaust but it is rare to watch it on a stage. It takes a lot to recreate something this impactful in history and grasp the audience. But everyone in this production did just that. They left mouths wide open in amazement. They left hearts pounding in pain. They left a powerful message in the mind of every audience member.
All of the actors that played survivors did an astonishing job. They all worked very well together and made the scenes such as riding in a box car to a concentration camp, believable. Each survivor had an important message to announce especially Rachel Williams who was able to mesmerize the audience with her passion. She told a story of how she played dead and was suffocated by bodies that piled on top of her. Williams’ survivor monologue was done flawlessly and was a highlight of the show.
Other actors such as Addison Sim who played the playwright did a great job explaining why this play should and should not be done. Sim was able to open minds and describe how this play came about. It was powerful when Sim kept mentioning “the teeth” and how they played a huge role in Dear Finder. This was significant in the sense that the audience got background information as we watched the terrors occur.
Along with the actors, the scene designer Ashley Ann Woods did a phenomenal job portraying not only the set, but manipulating it so that people could feel emotions from just looking at it. The colors were minimal if any at all, and the dark, dull, grays that swarmed the stage were there to make the audience feel dark and swarmed. When the soldiers had the red Nazi wristbands they stood out since it was the only color. This was a great use of color and how they truly took over everything.
Jon Brophy, the lighting designer, made great use of spotlights and minimal lighting on the dark and dreary stage. The lights fit every scene seamlessly. Starting with the bright museum, and slowly losing light until it was like there was no sun shining. The lighting matched the set and made it that much more powerful.
This performance of Dear Finder was more than a play, it was a message. It was worth more than the 90 minute performance. A standing ovation was well deserved for everyone that was a part of this show.
Jessica Citron
ReplyDeleteThe University of Minnesota Duluth’s Department of Theater put on a production of Tom Isbell’s Dear Finder. Although this production was put on in a space normally used for typical storytelling where a couple actors play specific parts and tell the story of a few characters, Tom Isbell made a performance that had many actors playing multiple nonspecific roles telling the story of millions of people in an attempt to keep history from repeating itself. The theme of repetition is almost perfect for the story because the play has been performed or “repeated” every ten years for the past thirty years on the same stage.
The cast was composed of sixteen different actors that were split into six different groups of characters, only four of which were individual people who played specific parts. The use of having many of the actors play nameless people who were affected by the holocaust added to the message that so many people were affected and just forgotten about. However, the use of nameless people made the performance confusing to follow at times because the audience was searching for one specific story to follow and the jump from being at a museum to being back in the past made it hard to follow.
One of the survivor actresses, Rachel Williams, told the story of a mother named Dina. The way Williams delivered the story with such raw emotion made the who audience go emotionally limp. Williams spoke in a way that convinced the audience that not only did these things really happen, but they also happened to the woman standing in front of them. The use of Dina’s story and others like it allowed the audience to empathize with the characters and it opened their hearts up in preparation for the ending of the performance.
The ending touched the audience in a way that none of the audience had anticipated going into the play. The way the actors all broke from their characters and started speaking directly to the audience expressing their cry to action, made it so each audience member felt personally responsible for stopping history from repeating itself. The way each actor told a different story of a real event made it really set in that these problems still exist in the world and the way that the events were in chronological order made it even more intense and alarming to the audience. The call to action was not lost in the performance and it left the audience feeling like they had a mission to accomplish after the play was finished.
Dear Finder 2018
ReplyDeleteAbigail Van Watermeulen
The showing of Dear Finder 2018 was performed at the Marshall Performing Arts Center. The purpose of this performance was to remind us of what had actually happened during the Holocaust and the real number of fatalities involved in this horrific historical event. The message they tried to get across to the audience once again was “Never again” because we didn't get the message earlier. The directors of this play sent a very emotional and meaningful message to the audience members. Many viewers were left in tears, broken hearts and a deep feeling of sorrow.
There were numerous actors in this play that played an important role in the production that was performed. Each of the actors that had an important role to play told specific stories of people that were alive during the Holocaust and told touching stories of the things they went through during this horrific experience. Also, there were around 12-15 people that were apart of the killings during the play that played a huge part of the story by burying the people that had just gotten shot then them basically digging their own graves while doing that. This was not the only interesting touch that they added to the performance.
The clothing choices that the director chose were also a critical point of the play. The characters were wearing old worn down clothing and then when they put on the Nazi armbands those really stood out because of the ragged clothing they were wearing. This was a really intriguing touch that they added to the story by making the Nazi armband really stand out. The further into the play that the characters got the more dirty they got by first them dying in the dirt then them digging the bodies out of the dirt, following them having to go into the gas chambers.
Overall, the play the actors participated in was a great performance. The story of the Holocaust will always be a touching and heartfelt event. They did a good job making the audience feel the sadness and emotion of the characters. The director and performers did an outstanding job of getting their message about “Never again” and reminding us of the true story of the Holocaust.
Lessons from the Holocaust
ReplyDeleteHanna Schmitt
The message of Dear Finder 2018, was to stop making the same mistakes by learning from history. During the Holocaust, discrimination demolished humanity through genocide, racism, ethical discrimination, homophobia, alienation, and so much more.
Near the beginning of Dear Finder 2018 and during the final act, the cast quoted acts of discrimination prior to, throughout, and following the second World War. Although not every quote was remembered or comprehended by the audience, two things stood out: the quantity and which year something took place, the last in 2018.
Throughout Dear Finder 2018 and in his Director’s Note, director Tom Isbell made it very clear that any rendition of Dear Finder should not be running today because of the play’s theme: never again.
While portraying those in concentration camps, the cast kept running in circles; an indirect way to convey that history goes around in circles, repeating and tripping over itself until someone says stop. The only question is, when will the finite stop take place?
In order to show the audience discrimination was and is wrong, there had to be a bad person or group the audience could channel their emotions towards. Being that Dear Finder 2018 is a play about the Holocaust, the Nazi party took on this part.
To make Nazi’s scary everything was dramatic and staccato. For example their movement was very rigid and stiff when passing Mein Kampf between officers; they spoke in loud, clipped tones; and there was a consistent clapping rhythm made specifically for the Nazi party. Arms, legs, and turns were all 45 or 90 degree angles when the Nazi’s marched around the stage.
On the other hand, those arrested and in concentration camps, or in the Jewish ghetto, were organic. While in the boxcar, the actors swayed. The woman who survived the trench full of corpses portrayed fear every time she became nervous she grabbed her collar and fidgeted with it. Another example was during the ghetto and concentration camp scene—all of the “unwanted” were caved in on themselves—there were no straight backs.
The contrast between the two themes easily fell into the categories of attacker and victim. The humanity portrayed by the victims’ emotional swaying was to instill the audience with empathy, and, hopefully, a reaction strong enough to dislike the attacker.
The execution of Dear Finder 2018 was baffling. Although hopefully not needing to occur, the next ten year anniversary of Dear Finder would also be worth watching.
Dear Finder
ReplyDeleteWritten by Abigail Trenholm
During World War 2 there was, on average, 60 million people who perished. Out of that, 6 million were killed in the holocaust alone. The play of Dear Finder covers those 6 million lives lost and how they lived during their time in the ghettos, the cattle cars, and in the concentration camps.
Opening the play in a holocaust museum was definitely different than previous years. Nevertheless, it was great when the actors came out on the stage with the little recorders. Letting the audience hear the tapes being played was a great idea. It really prepared the audience for the play with the brief background knowledge on the different aspects of the play that were going to be presented. The jumbling of the players was also fun and gave the audience a chaotic feeling that was slightly unsettling and a good way to set the mood early.
In the scene of the burning of the books the lights were brilliant. The bright red in the corner representing the fire was amazing. The color lit the stage casting shadows upon everything making the mood eerie and intense. The fact that they used actual books in this scene and over exaggerating the tossing and handling of those books brought everyone’s attention to what they were doing. Even without words in the scene we, the audience, knew exactly what was going on.
Another awesome aspect of the red lighting casting over the Nazi’s was when the actor representing Hitler came on stage and white lights hit him from behind. The whole lighting effect from behind made him seem godly and the red lights on the white wall held his silhouette, which seemed to be a lurking evil next to him.
Now, the scene in the ghetto with the survivors was awesome. The simple clothesline with purple and green lights gave everything a dirty and cluttered feel. The purple brought out a joyous aspect when the survivors were dancing and singing. Even in light of the horrible conditions they were in, the survivors had found a bit of happiness. The singing by the actors was very well done with creating an overall joyous mood to the scene, but carrying that singing over into the cattle car gave the scene a whole other effect. It became somber, even though the singing was the same as before the effects were totally opposite. This small detail was excellently executed by the actors and the director.
I only disliked one aspect of this play. The clapping was great and one can understand where they were going with it, but it didn’t come across as well as intended. The clapping made the Nazi rallies more intense, but it drowned out what the actors were saying. If it was pulled down in volume it could’ve been more effective, but instead it was a big distraction and pulled one right away from the scene.
Overall, this play was great all the way to the end. The whole point of the play was broadcasted across and was received easily by the audience. This play would not be a waste of time for anyone, and everyone should attend to hear it’s final message.
Calvin Pevon
ReplyDeleteDear Finder, directed by Tom Isabell, sets the bar for what a historical play about the Holocaust should be. The scenery, set design, and costumes of the play were all very well done.
The design of the set and scenery was very minimalistic with few colors or props, but this is what gave it an advantage over a more traditional set design, such as a furnished home. All the pieces that were apart of the set were able to take on different settings, such as a museum, a passenger ship, a Nazi prison camp, and a courtroom, due to its lack of color, props, and neutral feel. The props used were mostly apart of the set itself, such as the floorboards that were removed and thrown to recreate the chaos of Kristallnacht, The Night of Broken Glass, along with the dirt that was under them, that was used in many different scenes and settings throughout the play. The way the scenery and set design was created also added to the gradual climax and end of the story by starting off as a clean and pristine museum and ending up with dirt, paper, books, and wooden floorboards strewn on the stage to simulate a Nazi prison camp. The gradual degradation of the set and stage was used as a metaphor for how gradual and subtle the progression of events that led up to the Holocaust was. The costumes themselves also showed this degradation as well. The actors who played the Jews and other people oppressed by the Nazis, started off with nice clean clothing at the beginning of the play, had their clean clothes become ratty and torn by the middle of the play, and near the end of the play have them be completely gone and traded for filthy and worn concentration camp uniforms.
Isabell and the actors in the performance did a wonderful job fulfilling their roles and providing the audience with a standout play. Throughout the play the actors had to flawlessly switch into many different roles in the performance, such as becoming a Jew oppressed by the Nazis, right after they were playing the part as a follower of the Nazi regime. In a handful of scenes, most of the actors had to pretend to be dead and lay in the dirt for quite a long time, and not once was I able to see any movement from them as they laid there. The emotion with which the actors spoke and performed really made you feel like they had actually been through all of the unspeakable atrocities of the Holocaust and it made you not able to not take your eyes off of the performance. Isabell made the production go almost perfect. In the scenes where the actors had to change their roles, the majority of them would go offstage all at once while one actor would continue speaking until the other actors reappeared in their changed costumes, making it a smooth transition. Isabell’s positioning of the actors on the stage, such as the way in which they faced the crowd when they spoke, and how they were grouped together in certain scenes, made the performance seem more realistic and helped set the scene, aesthetically and emotionally. Dear Finder was a great production, from the heartfelt and emotional acting, the props being incorporated into the acting and set design, to the wonderfully done costumes. It is a play that should definitely be seen by one and all, especially in this day and age.
Brennen St. John
ReplyDeleteDear finder is about reflection of the holocaust movement which has touched the world as we know it today. The play itself told their stories of how the Jews lived through that very difficult time. The way the cast showed their raw emotion was very accurate, as if they were truly in the pain that was inflicted back then. From the time that when world war two was beginning all the way to when the Jews were being liberated. All within ninety minutes of showtime, their stories were told. Dear Finder, gets more and more people to learn more about what happened back then by even exposing the population of today with the facts. Throughout the play the cast told the audience of how millennials today did not know what the holocaust was or how it happened. This is a fact because of the technology revolution and social media wishes not to talk about these things but rather today’s news and nothing else. Even though how much of a struggle this was in that time. This was a reason that this play was made, to remind everyone of what happened so that it will never be forgotten because of how much brutality, gore, and violence was dealt to a group of individuals who only believed in a different religion.
The cast represented the Jews, Nazis, executioners, and generals in the holocaust timing alone. There were also parts being presented in the present such as museum tourists, the author of Dear Finder, and a journalist. The way that they jumped back from the past to the present was an interesting choice because even though the showing is supposed to be about the holocaust alone, it made the story more approachable because having the author describe why he wanted to have this play seen by an audience. They wore very accurate clothing having everything they wore all dirty and torn up from all the work they had to do. Even when they were changing was interesting because they all had long johns on which covered up any skin from showing but then to just be all covered up in dirt again.
The ending of the show was very special because they brought the setting back to the present. Almost as if they exited the play to speak directly to the audience. This was to inform everyone that the holocaust is NOT over. Everyone brought a fact about how the holocaust is still alive and threatening the world today. From threats to kill all Jews to all hail Hitler, what happened in World War Two is not over and there are still events happening which should not be happening in our economy today. The war is over, and the threats need to stop so we can reach peace. The director had this happen for all the right reasons. It is a way for the audience to leave the theater with a new mind set of the world today.
Dear Finder Review
ReplyDeleteOstin Manary
Dear Finder, is an emotional fast-paced play that makes you want to chant with the cast “Never Again”. It is easy to tell throughout the play what kind of message is trying to be conveyed as it is stated throughout the play to never have anything like the holocaust happen ever again. They do a very good job displaying this message in many different ways. The horror of being forced to watch death all around you is felt very strongly by the audience. Emotional attachments are made to these nameless holocaust survivors without even much dialogue from them. With only a few minor exceptions this play keeps rolling and never stops.
One of the more emotional scenes is when they have all of the survivors lined up and they each take turns getting shot and falling into the dirt pit. As each survivor is shot they have a few extra throwing dirt on top of the fallen survivors until they too have to fall into the pit. The whole scene really elicits a sense of pain and sadness for the many victims of the holocaust.
The greatest performance came from Rachel Williams where she describes her experience of falling into one of these death pits and all of the horrors she goes through while trying to escape. She has to watch this young child be murdered right in her hands as they try escape together. You become her in the play and you just want to escape from this madness.
One of the more interesting aspects of the play was having different sections of the play almost paused while we listen to an interview with the writer of Dear Finder, Tom Isbell. During these interviews he is being asked about why he created this play and the many things that inspired him to redo the play again, in 2018. It was an interesting choice that was necessary for giving a reason as to why this message needed to be rehashed again in 2018.
One of the weaker aspects of the play was the opening scene which felt like it dragged on a bit. It started out in a museum with a few visitors walking around looking at different things from the holocaust as they listened on their headphones to descriptions of each. The scene does make sense in the play, but it dragged on a bit and could have been half as long.
Overall this play was really inspiring, it stuck with its message and really didn’t go off course from that. There were many scenes that pulled at your heart strings and with a few exceptions the play really moved along quick and smooth.
Toni Seppi
ReplyDeleteDear Finder by UMD Theatre
October 19, 2018
The production “Dear Finder 2018” by the UMD theatre was an eye-opening and thought provoking performance. The intent of this production was to make known of the inhumane and unconscionable conditions people went through during the Holocaust and was a warning to never allow an instance such as this one to reoccur. This play provided insight to social issues from the past, continuing into the present in a less obvious form, in which many remain unaware of.
The cast was exceptionally talented and made the audience feel the emotion being conveyed through the words and actions of the characters. Each character was unique in the story they had shared throughout the production and played a critical role in what was being conveyed to the audience. The acting provided the audience with believable characters in order to recreate the story in a way in which resembles the truth.
The director’s approach to the script was well intended and performed by the cast. The play script supported the director’s approach to the material as the production was quality work, complete to a satisfactory extent, and was effective in reaching the audience. Tom Isbell, the director, was able to create a climax within the production while being able to conclude the intent of the plot line within the ninety-minute production.
From a design perspective, the scenic, costumes, lighting, and sounds were conducive to the realism of what was being portrayed. The stage set-up and design was creative as the cast and crew were able to use the bridge in different scenes as it was played out in different places. Also, the map on the floor, front stage, was innovative in how it came apart as the story was being told of how many European countries were being overtook by Nazi Germany and each piece of the map was taken apart and left with only dirt below. The costumes of the Jewish and other minority groups used in the play were intentionally plain and colorless as a symbol of oppression where as the costumes of Nazi Germans were clean and well-kept. Also the arm bands of the Nazi symbol were bright red to intentionally stand out and create a statement of power. Another symbol in the production was the dirt. The dirt was used throughout the play as a symbol of the both physical and mental conditions placed upon these people. The lighting was intentionally dark in order to create a scenario representative of the grim and disheartening instances being told upon stage. The sound effects were loud and crass at times as well as quiet and discreet in order to create a deliberate contrast to the instances being told.
Overall, the play achieved the goal of evocative emotion within the audience as well as bringing awareness to social issues of the past and present. The play was worth the attempt, time and energy put into it, as well as it was worth going and seeing it. The play affected me in a personal way as it brought light to current social issues as a comparison to past world events in which made me both discouraged and more educated.
Isabel Dokhanchi
ReplyDeleteThe University of Minnesota Duluth Theater’s production of Tom Isbell’s Dear Finder left me with the sorrowful sound of the actors’ humming in my ear and a pit in my stomach weighted down by the lack of truth “never again” holds. Although the Holocaust was a frequented topic throughout middle and high school, I found myself sunken in my chair, hand over my mouth, paralyzed by disbelief of the information this production held through the entirety of the play.
The most jarring scene to many was when one survivor, played by Rachel Williams, delivered a monologue on the recount of the massacre at Babi Yar. There is a certain wave of shock that hits each time you hear a new recount from the Holocaust and the wave that came along with this scene hit like a brick wall. William’s raw emotion, paired with the actors still laying motionless in the dirt from a previous scene was an incredible choice made by the director. My focus raced back and forth with disbelief that a human being actually went through this, to shock that the actors were able to lay face down covered in dirt for so long, to horror of realizing that many during the holocaust, including the one whose story was being narrated, had to do this for much longer than the length of a monologue covered in human blood and bodies rather than dirt. The whirlwind of emotion brought on by this scene made me think I needed to leave yet I remained, weighed down by the heaviness of what had just occurred on stage
Another very powerful aspect of the play was the song. In an early scene, a couple of survivors sang a song while in the ghetto, dancing, hopeful, still full of life. As the play progressed, this song continued to make appearances, yet the life it once held dwindled through each replay. In one scene, the survivors, played by multiple actors, were reenacting what it was like on a trip on the cattle car. Packed tightly together, swaying, their somber faces, they hummed this powerful song and it carried new meaning. Although it didn’t include words, it added a very powerful sense of emotion to the play, creating a multidimensional feeling that was not reached by the acting out and statement of facts.
Throughout multiple scenes of the play, the survivors were performing physically challenging actions that showcased the importance of body language in acting. Between cramming together on a cattle cart, to squishing into the sleeping space, to running laps continuously, to laying buried in dirt, the actors did an incredible job dedicating themselves to the role that showcased the inhumane treatment of people in the Holocaust.
As if the Holocaust does not invoke enough emotion, the cast individually coming onstage to tell another atrocity defying the message “never again” had tears streaming down the faces of the entire audience. Each actor read each news report with raw emotion. It is hard to believe that an event such as the Holocaust was possible, but hearing the stories of events that we as an international society continue to see was, for many, a wake up call needed to ignite the idea that we need to change. The ending was not only performed well, it was crucial to this anniversary of the play to leave the audience questioning why this performance needed to be delivered again.
Because this was the ASL performance, it is necessary to mention the amazing job done by the interpreters throughout the play. Many do not think of them as actors, but their performance added so much, not only for the Deaf community, but for the large population of UMD’s American Sign Language students who had the privilege of watching their interpretations. Doug and Jody did a wonderful job capturing emotion, not taking away from the actors on stage, but combining with them. A job very well done!
Review of Dear Finder by Decker Whyle
ReplyDeleteThe show Dear Finder put on by the UMD theatre department was a chilling show to watch for anyone in the audience. The combination of intensely real acting and amazing props/special effects made this play an emotional rollercoaster while experiencing the horrors of the holocaust and the moral struggle of creating a play about it.
One particularly exceptional part of this play was the acting. During scenes of great tragedy such as jews being gunned down in the dirt, the horror and suffering in their eyes and bodies looked incredibly real. This ecellent portrayal of holocaust victims can be seen throughout the whole play, however this is not to downplay the rest of the cast. Every other scene, from the playwrite talking to the reporter, to actors shouting out dates of importance of the war, was a beautiful portrayal of the holocaust and it effectively drew the audience into the play.
Even though the acting was terrific, this play wouldn’t have been nearly as great as it was without the spectacular use of props. When the actors are saying which countries fell to Germany in which order, the removal of the floorboards that had european nations on them gave the audience a full understanding of how much land Germany had actually conquered in such a short amount of time. Then the actors use of the two by four boards to represent what had happened on crystal nackt gave the audience a much different perspective as opposed to just yelling out facts. But the most impressive use of a prop was with the sand pit. It was used multiple times in many, very different scenarios, and each time it was used it brought a whole new aspect of realness to the play. This can be attributed to the amazing creativity of the production team; using something as simple as sand to bring a new perspective to multiple scenes.
The play Dear Finder was one of the most powerful plays that the UMD theatre department has put on. The phenomenal acting pulled the audience into the story and gave them the full realization of what Germany did during WWII, specificaly the Holocaust. Then, after the audience had already been hooked, the cast used several props in an outstanding, and very real way. A person would be extremely hard-pressed if they were trying to find another play about the Holocasut that better captured the entirety of it. In the end, the price of admission is more than worth it to see this masterpiece
Dear Finder Review
ReplyDeleteCameron Fields
The UMD production of Dear Finder accurately displayed the horrors and devastation that took place during World War II. The cast protrayed the stories of Holocaust survivors in a beautifly grim way, and pronounced a message that humanity still needs to learn: never again.
From soldiers, to survivors, to prosecutors, the cast was able to pull off the challenges of playing multiple parts extremely well. While it was awkward at times, mainly when they changed onstage from soldiers to prisoners, overall the flow was consistent. One actor that deserves recognition is Rachel Willams. Her monologue about the story of a survivor brought audience members to tears, and was filled with so much emotion and sadness that it almost felt like the actual victim was there telling her story.
The scenery was really only composed of a large staircase with an arch underneath, and a platform that was ripped up throughout the play to reveal a large pit filled with dirt. However, throughout the play, the cast brought out props, and decorations, and the light and sound crew used special effects such as smoke to make it seem like they where in countless locations. While it didn't always work, mainly when the cast was “burning books” and you could barely hear them due to the sound effects in the background, the idea and execution was pulled off extremely well, and peaked the audience's interest.
The most interesting, and arguably the most important part of the play was the ending. The cast members broke out from their characters, and reminded the audience of the global atrocities that many knew, and many didn't know. The cast almost repremanded humanity, with the raw anger and emotion they protrayed while yelling about the horrible things that humanity has done in the wake of the holocaust, such as genocide, racism, and unjust laws. They end the play with a message about how humans must change, and with dimming lights and their tired and furious expressions, the last message of Dear Finder seems almost haunting: never again.
Dear Finder Review 2018
ReplyDeleteMaxwell Sandin
Marshall Performing Arts Center was home to the play, Dear Finder, a play that left audience members shocked walking out of the door. A reaction director, Tom Isbell, was going for. The play hasn’t been done since 2016, when it was performed by Duluth East High School students. But Isbell saw all the horrible acts happening around the world, and decided it was time to teach the true meaning of the words, “never again.”
The silence was very obvious from the beginning of the performance, and the cast used it to their advantage. There were many parts where no words were being spoken, just the creeks on the floor boards or coughs from the audience. This made for very intense moments that had viewers motionless, and eager for the silence to break. When these moments would end, many noises from loud claps to books being thrown would all be happening at once, which drowned out some of the dialogue and made it hard to hear what the actors were saying.
But as the play continued that minor flaw was no harm, the passion of the survivors was what made this play so powerful. Rachel Williams plays as one, and when she has her moment to shine telling a story from one of the many mass killings, she does so with true emotion, it made it seem like she had actually experienced what she was saying. Paul Icenogle on the other hand, yells his way into the spotlight, fed up with all the inhumane acts he has had to watch, he exclaims that all of this must be stopped in a way that made viewers want to jump up and yell with him.
The props around the set were a great part about this play too. The little train car they also used as a doorway, the stairwell they used as a fireplace, the creativity with the set made the experience a lot of fun to see. Possibly the most creative moment is when they used the boards of wood from the dirt to create the bed they were forced to sleep on. They also never picked up any of the props they had either thrown or tore up, possibly to symbolize the fact that all these actions that have happened, still haven't gone away.
No part of this play was wasted, every single scene/character had a huge role to play, and every single one of them performed to the best of their abilities. The versatility some of them had was great, playing a Nazi suporter one scene, then totally fliping the script and being part of the survivors the next scene.
Dear Finder, is a play that will make you appreciate things in your life, whether it’s the play’s subject, or the things you have in your own life. It was a great show to go to and if they perform this play again in our lifetimes I highly encourage anyone to go check it out.
Review by Alexis Lein
ReplyDeleteThe production, Dear Finder, was a chilling and dramatic play that emphasized the terrible acts of the Holocaust, as well as other violent acts that have since harmed today’s world. The play featured outstanding actors with Rachel Williams being particularly spectacular, contrasting costumes and dialogue, along with attention catching symbols throughout.
Although the production was fast paced and captivating as a whole, the beginning scenes seemed to drag on, with little exciting action. Despite this, the emotion behind the production was chilling and compelled the audience to feel their “Never Again” message on a new level.
The acting overall was astonishing, and although the majority of the actors were unnamed, the emotions they conveyed brought chills. Rachel Williams in particular seemed to be have outstanding emotion connection to her character and played the role of a terrified and hopeless survivor with her whole heart. She appeared to act with ease, and her retelling of the horrors she experienced felt realistic and genuine.
The playwright in the production Dear Finder used dirt pits in a very creative manner throughout the play. Not only was this medium a physical factor in the play, it was also symbolic of the terrible and filthy things done to the victims. Near the beginning of the play, the dirt was uncovered in a metaphoric matter, to display the dirty grounds that would become the workplace and eventual grave of the people brought to the camps. The Nazi characters uncovered the pit of dirt little by little, by taking away the floor map as Hitler invaded countries across Europe. Next, the dirt became a physical place, once Jews and other victims arrived at the camp, and were forced to dig graves in the dirt - the same dirt that they would later be sacrificed and buried in. Finally, in the ending scene, the same dirt as before was the laying ground of the lost milk jug, that held the letters and lives of the victims lost in the dirt. The playwright's emphasis on this medium was incredibly powerful and conveyed a strong symbolism throughout the production.
The costumes and demeanors of the Nazis and their victims were incredibly opposite which added to the visual and emotional clash between the two sides. Emphasized in the beginning scenes, that also followed throughout the play was the striking red arm bands of the Nazi soldiers. These were not only bright on their own, but in comparison to the rags and colorless pajamas, they served as one of the only colors on stage. This emphasized the strong opposition between the dreary colored Jews and other victims, from the bright and strong colored Nazi soldiers. Following the liberation of the camps, the opposition of the demeanor between the two groups was apparent in their attitudes and dialogue. The victims were incredibly careful and guarded with the soldiers, trying everything in their power not to upset them. In contrast, the Nazi's were loud and proud and used their power to intimidate the prisoners. The defeated attitudes of the victims in comparison to the angered and fascist soldiers added to the apparent contrast to the play as a whole.
Dear Finder, brought the tragedy of the Holocaust back to life in a startling but well done performance. Overall, Rachel Williams with the help of cast members were able to retell heart dropping stories of survivors and give the production a lasting emotional grief. To further the meaning behind the play, the playwright highlighted the dirt in physical and symbolic ways, and used the contrast of color and demeanor to his advantage to make the play a stunning but shocking success.
Review of Dear Finder 2018
ReplyDeleteEric Schmitz
The University of Minnesota Duluth’s Marshall Performing Arts Center produced a very deep and moving production entitled Dear Finder. This play reexamined a relatively recent segment of history that most people don’t like to talk about. Tom Isbell, the director of Dear Finder, delved into this topic in a unique and powerful way through many areas of theatre, including production design. Through Dear Finder’s design, which included the lighting, scenic, and sound, Isbell delivered a strong message and lesson to take away from the horrors known as the Holocaust.
The lighting of the Dear Finder attempted to serve as the audience’s focus indicator for much of the performance. The brightening of certain characters and dimming others successfully achieved the Isbell’s goal of focusing the audience’s attention on specific characters. A strong scene was when the light(focus) would switch back forth between actors portraying Nazi members and the actor portraying Adolf Hitler; the Nazi members narrated the actions of Germany invading Europe, while the actor portraying Hitler recited quotes of his speeches. A scene like this was useful to understand how the members of Nazi party were influenced to commit the actions they did. The lighting technique was most effective when multiple actors were on stage at a time. The director made the correct choice on how to use lighting and it paid off for the production.
Dear Finder’s scenic designer, Ashley Woods, used scenery by attempting to reflect the background and life of the Holocaust era. Production attempted to reflect the crowded boxcar transportation of Jews, the living conditions in ghettos, as well as the living conditions in Nazi concentration camps. The boxcar scene was successfully done by using lighting to simulate the look of boxcars passing by; the scene, paired with silence from the group of huddled actors, delivered a compelling reimagination to the audience of what life for those people was like. The ghetto and concentration camp scenes could have used more props to set a more detailed scene, as there was free room on the stage to do so. Overall, Wood’s use of scenery was crucial to portraying a real, yet disturbing image to the audience.
Dear Finder used sound to convey what the people who lived through the Holocaust heard. The portrayed deaths of executed Jews were accompanied by sounds of gunfire and complete silence that both preceded and followed them, thus creating a real tense of tension and suspense. Isbell also used sound to explore the dynamics of bonding the Jewish community during this time. During periods of hardship in the ghettos, dances and joyful songs were sung and celebrated. Songs were also quietly hummed during times in concentration camps and boxcars. This might have been Isbell’s most successful part of Dear Finder’s overall design and was a great attempt at portraying the Holocaust.
Isbell and Woods together created a production that tackled a difficult topic to portray, whether in film or on stage. A great portion of their success in Dear Finder was due in part to the design. The sounds, scenes, and coordination of lights were there because Isbell wanted the audience to engage with Dear Finder in a real way. The performance and production of members on and off stage of Dear Finder did an excellent overall job with the task of design.
Dear Finder 2018
ReplyDeleteHeather Herbranson
Thursday October 18th, at the Marshall Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota the newly rewritten Dear Finder was performed. Dear Finder, 2018 took a unique approach to a historic topic. By starting in a museum and gradually having the walls removed, the audience was transported back in time to the heart of the holocaust.
Dear Finder was written by Tom Isbell, Valerie Buel, Denise Dawson, Jamison Haase, Kourtney Kass, Julie Maclver, Andrew Nelson, and Julie Unulock and directed by Isbell. The script jumps between modern time and different times throughout the holocaust, all with one message. Never Again.
Sixteen actors total on stage, many playing numerous nameless roles. Whether or not their character had a name each of the survivors played a convincing role. Sitting in the front row, by the end the audience could see the cast had tears in their eyes. One scene that held the attention of the audience, as no one dared to breathe, was watching the actors dig their own graves. Hearing one actor tell us what was happening built more and more anticipation. Then clearly gunshots rang throughout the auditorium and the actors fell into the dirt. Gasps and surprise could be felt throughout the audience. As it happened again and again.
The design by Ashley Ann Woods worked incredibly well with this play. Before the show started as during the first scene it appeared to be a clean modern museum. As the story progressed the walls moved away, and the stage got darker and dirtier. The use of the stage to contain many different locations and not be overwhelming was well done. One distinctive feature was the map on the floor of Europe. The use of this map by Isbell and Woods to cover the dirt and the way in which it was removed created a strong statement. The audience could clearly see the how widely spread the Nazi power expanded.
Lighting and sound, by Jon Brophy and Alex Flinner respectively made all the difference in creating a moving piece. The use of lights and sound created a museum that felt real to the audience, a realistic moving cattle car, executions, and set the mood for each individual scene.
Perhaps the most frightening part of the play was the last few moments. The actors mirrored the horrific events that happened during the Holocaust to events in much more recent times. These events occurring as recent as just over a month ago. It seems the world has not quite learned our lesson, making this play that much more important. Dear Finder 2018, is more than worth the time and cost. Anyone can benefit from more knowledge or simply a reminder. This play stands to remind us of the promises made at the end of the Holocaust. Never Again.
An intimate retelling of the Holocaust
ReplyDeleteDear Finder review by Dani Lo
Though there have been many documentaries and movies which capture the events of the holocaust, Dear Finder retells its horrific events in a way that intimately showcases the stories of the survivors. In the playbill, director Tom Isbell explained his reason for putting on the show for a third time, so the concept of “never again” will be fully understood. This notion of “never again” is seen throughout the show from the actor’s performance, the set of the show as well as the edited 2018 script, making Dear Finder a groundbreaking performance that successfully sent their message into the minds of the audience.
Every individual actor did a wonderful job of bringing the stories of the survivors to life. They played their parts extremely convincingly and very well as an ensemble. further helping to explaining each event that lead up to, was a part of and happened after the Holocaust. Though there were no named characters, the monologue of Dina, played by Rachel Williams, captured the complete terror and hopelessness of the Holocaust. This performance compelled me to highlight it as one of my favorite moments of Dear Finder.
Another significant part of the show was its set design. Having gotten to meet Ashley woods, the scenic designer for Dear Finder, in person and having her explain exactly what they were going for in this show made Dear Finder as an experience even more better. Seeing how the set initially started in a modern museum setting and how it transformed into a dysfunctional death bed during the end was very symbolic. The slow dismembering of the clean, sterile set let the story of the survivors and the modern museum meld together. This melding enforced the idea that although the holocaust was in the past it is still very relevant in our lives today.
Tom Isbell rewrote 2018 Dear Finder to include the many accounts of prejudice and hate against race and difference in the world that have happened since the end of the Holocaust. That was a very powerful move and truly allowed the audience to soak in the idea of “never again”. The flashbacks from the museum to the time of the holocaust written into the script, though were hard to understand why at first and sometimes broke the continuity of the show, asserted its reason of being there in the end when the cast threw the teeth in the dirt. Another change that was made to 2018’s Dear Finder was intermission. This was much appreciated as such a heavy story could not be told in two parts and keeps its audience. All in all, Tom Isbell’s writing and editing of Dear Finder was beautifully done with careful symbolism which created more depth to Dear Finder.
University of Minnesota Duluth’s Dear Finder was a truly moving show that touched the hearts and minds of its audience, reiterating the fact that an event like the Holocaust should never happen again, never again. This notion could not have been communicated if not for the great performances from the cast and the symbolic factors of the set and script.
Dear Finder review by Trent Tatur
ReplyDeleteDear Finder which was Directed and written by Tom Isbell to express the experiences and the emotions of people who were involved in the Holocaust. This play goes from describing a personal story of someone's past to showing the difficulties of surviving in the camps. This play isn't really a play for like past actions and documentaries of Holocaust survivors.
Acting, Acting was really good when seeing the scenes like falling in the dirt and like when they were running around before being evaluated to see if they were strong enough to stay alive in the camps. When we see the acting also in this play we see how this type of play really affects people emotionally like when one of the actors was describing her past with the little boy who was killed feet away from her in front of her eyes. The actor who was showing this story had me the audience actually believe she was there. I could see the audience become affected by these tragic events, I was sitting by this nice old lady that when saddening things were happening she started to tear up solely because you can feel the emotions through the words of the actors.
While having great acting you must have an effective stage to do it on which they did great with things like the dirt, to throwing the books in the fires, to undoing and redoing the set when they went back to the present. This I think was definitely important when showing the dirt especially as time went on they would get dirtier and dirtier to show how long they truly have been in this horrific event. When they mainly used the dirt pit they used it as an area of people deaths because when they dig they are literally digging their own graves which were just sad and really scary.
An interesting part of the play that in which I noticed was when the officer who was being asked the questions he was denying and even not denying about what was happening to the people in the camps. When this was happening my stomach was just turning to see on how evil people can truly be when they have power. Another part that just made me sick to my stomach was when they were throwing the books in the fires they were saying just the most sickening and the most saddening things about people like the jews.
As we get to the end of the plays we hear things that have happened from them to now on how people still are compared to the Nazis. By the end, they also found the third milk container that had notes of people who were living through the experience of Auschwitz and other terrible and awful camp. In conclusion to what was demonstrated through the play, It definitely showed how we have not learned the “Never Again” lesson.
Dear Finder 2018
ReplyDeleteSam Runge
Dear Finder, one of the most affecting history lessons one might attend, written and directed by Tom Isbell, explored the near absurdity of “never again” and the idea of hope in the midst of hopelessness.
Dear Finder assumed a hybrid form of theater and documentary, and the result was something spectacular. The innate intimacy of theater renders the information being told that much more tangible. Seeing the Bobi Yare Massacre portrayed in such a way gave life to a history which those who were not present at the scene could only imagine. Imagination only goes so far. The audience saw the dirt poured on the lifeless bodies of the actors by other actors who would join them in the dirt shortly thereafter. That was tangible. That was affecting. Isbell’s Dear Finder did not sacrifice artistry for educational merit. The inundation of information was heavy but not overwhelming and did not detract from the overall impact of the production. If anything, it was this constant flow of information that made the experiences which, to the reader of history, would be primarily abstraction.
The words “never again” have been said following one atrocity after another. But what do they mean, exactly? Isbell’s Dear Finder forces the audience to ponder just that. Having told the tale of one of modern history’s most well-known incidents of inhumanity in the Holocaust and subsequently stating the myriad instances of hatred of barbarity which followed – the Rwandan Genocide, for example – Dear Finder called into question the legitimacy of “never again” and pondered whether or not there will be a time when this phrase would be more than an anthem of mourning in the wake of tragedy.
While the narrative of Dear Finder was incredibly grim – as was expected, considering the horrific nature of the Holocaust – and while the theme of the absurdity of “never again” was present, there was nevertheless an element of hope injected into it. It was the playwright in the story, played by Addison Sim, who stated that, in spite of all that unfolded during the genocide as well as the totality of atrocities committed over the course of modern history, there needed to be hope. The hope Sim discussed, if not for the sake of the future, should, to him, be held for the sake of the past and the countless of souls who had wrongfully perished. Despite the potential absurdity of “never again,” Dear Finder declared that the world cannot afford to lose hope in the realization of “never again.”
Dear Finder was theater inconsistent with what is generally perceived as theater, and history inconsistent with what is generally perceived as history, and this made the performance that much more enjoyable. Overall, the show was thoroughly impressive and was, and shall remain until humanity gets it right (and even perhaps after that), relevant.
Dear Finder 2018 is a performance like none other and a spectacle that should be seen by everyone, no matter who you are.
ReplyDeleteFrom the very beginning, Director Tom Isbell states, “We should not be doing this again”. This is odd to hear from the director of the play one is about to see, but as the lights dim and the show begins, you soon discover exactly what he means.
The show started slow and had a variety of elements that felt too ‘artsy’ for lack of a better term. The clapping felt out of place and barely any dialogue made it over the sound of feet stamping on the stage or books being thrown to a fire. Along with this, the actors seemed a bit out of character, as if the emotions weren’t quite there yet. Thankfully, this was the only downside to the performance.
The minute the dirt was implemented into the play, the show and the actors found their stride and took the audience to a place that shook their cores. What felt like a documentary only minutes ago was now a frame by frame painting of the horrors that took place only decades ago. The raw passion displayed by every actor was deafening, leaving all eyes focused to the stage. Every line with a distinct purpose and spoken as such.
The acting felt far too realistic. One of the biggest questions asked of this show is “How can anyone capture the essence of a holocaust survivor when such an experience is so unparalleled?” But the actors saw this challenge and played their roles incredibly and shockingly so. Throughout the performance, the audience was completely enveloped in the story, even when the characters directly spoke to the audience. It was as if a museum had come to life and was telling a story. A story that is forgotten far more often than it should. It’s one thing to read about these terrifying events in a history book, but to see it happen, even as a play, is beyond words.
The lighting was absolutely brilliant. From the spotlights, the slow fades, even the mimicking of a train car door opening, the lighting amplified the performance to a degree that one may believe isn't possible. The people in the lighting crew somehow used light to make a show even darker than it already was.
Overall, the performance was absolutely breath taking. Even though the play had a slightly shaky start, it was still a performance that no one should miss. Dear Finder 2018 sheds light on what we as a nation must see in these dark times. It was truly a spectacle.
Dear Finder 2018
ReplyDeleteRiley Schaeffer
The play Dear Finder was performed at the Marshall Performing Arts Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth over the past few weeks. This is the third variation of the play from Tom Isbell as it has been performed twice before this at the University of Minnesota Duluth. The play “attempted” to put the audience in the presence of terrible events that occurred to Jewish people around the time period of World War II.
The basis of the play was brilliant. Not only were the actors and Tom Isbell trying to put the audience in the time period of World War II, but they also had the audience ponder why there are still hate related events happening to this day. Dear Finder could have had a major fault with jumping around from present time to different events around World War II but the play was able to do it with ease. They could do this by giving subtle hints to the time period that the events were taking place in for each new scene.
The decision to have no intermission also ended up being the correct move for Tom Isbell. Having the audience depressively watch two parts of a play with a break in between would have been too much for some audience members to handle. Having no intermission also added to the fluidity of the play as it was able to keep on moving from different time periods.
Having the nazis clap in unison was an interesting move for Dear Finder as It made the nazis seem powerful. One negative to this clapping was the difficulty in hearing the actors talk. The clapping would echo in the theatre so it would drown out the actors. The clapping was also inconsistent at times as it would change in volume quite frequently. Although the play did a great job of changing to different scenes in different time periods, the scene with Brendan Finn, a Nazi Officer, and Amanda Hennen, the prosecuter, did not seem needed. It seemed forced on the play and it did not add anything that was not already known. It seemed out of place when used at the spots of the play that they chose.
Having all of the actors come out and talk about terrible events that have happened since World War II was really powerful. It made the audience really think about the true message of the play. This ending brought the whole play together at the perfect time and left a lasting impression on the audience.
Sonni Eib
ReplyDeleteThe production of Dear Finder at the University of Minnesota Duluth’s theatre was heart breaking and gut wrenching. An amazing cast was brought together to tell the horrors of the holocaust while keeping it well put together. Leaving the audience speechless and amazed by the story that was placed in front of them.
The entire cast did an amazing job that made all of them equal. Each member of the cast was never given a name so that we were unable to tell the difference. This made the play interesting and kept the audience engaged throughout the entirety of the performance. Throughout the cast the talent was brought through every second they were on the stage.
Rachel Williams stood out to throughout the entire show. She had a performance that had peoples jaws dropping. She carried a large amount of emotion with every word that she spoke and gave the audience a real feel as to how scared the people experiencing the holocaust were. Towards the middle section of the play she gives an emotional monologue about how she survived bringing people to tears. She was able to have us feel as if she was the survivor. This made the story more than a play, it was a story.
The set was extraordinary and was very versatile. When first walking into the theatre you see it as a large room from a museum. As the story unfolds the set moves and changes to help the audience see that these were events that happened. These stories were told by different items in museums. This gave the play a new meaning that had the audience intrigued throughout the entire performance. It made the actors stand out throughout their performance because the set was neutral colors making the main focus the actors.
All of the different aspect of the show came together to give the audience a view as to what people had to face and experience in their lives. It is a reminder that it should never happen again and had a moving final scene. Towards the end of the play it talks about present day and events happening throughout everyday life that get looked over. We as a nation should be fighting against these issues and make sure that nothing like the holocaust happens again. The final scene brought a new look on the situation and gave the audience a different view as to issues happening today and tied the entirety of the show together.
The show was moving and was truly worth every second spent in the theatre. It brings a view to the Holocaust that isn’t placed on a stage everyday because it can be seen as too graphic. It was heartbreaking yet interesting. Giving information that is sometimes left out of shows and stories. This is a show worth someone’s time and should be seen by many people.
Dear Finder 2018
ReplyDeleteAndrew Prokott
On the days of October 11th-13th and 17th-20th, the University of Minnesota, Duluth Marshal Performing Arts Center presented the production of Tom Isbell's, Dear Finder. Dear Finder is a play created to enlighten people about the holocaust in a different and unique way.
The actors did a great job performing in this production. With a cast of only 16, each of the actors expressed a great deal of flexibility and confidence. Rachel Williams, in particular, did an excellent job executing a very powerful monologue about her character’s hardships and horrors she had to endure. However, Addison Sim came off a little stiff. Everytime he was on stage, it was as if he was trying too hard to play the role of Tom Isbell. Overall, very good performance by each of the actors.
The lighting by Jon Brophy and sound by Alex Finner, were absolutely phenomenal. The flashing red lights and the sound of glass breaking to simulate riots. The passing lights and the clattering of railroad tracks to represent the cattle carts. Even the just the single spot lights on the Prosecutor and Defendant. Each of these are great examples of the impact that the lighting and sound had.
The scenic designer, Ashley Ann Woods, did a brilliant job creating the whole setup of the stage. Everybit of the stage was utilized and then some. The numerous pieces of symbolism that was implemented into the set itself is beyond impressive. From the bridging arch to the pit of dirt. Everything had a deeper meaning to it that encouraged the audience to broaden their perspective.
The costumes worn by the actors were a powerful aspect of the play as well. Having to watch the characters progressively become more and more dirty and stripped of their clothing, added to the heartbreak and sad nature of the production. The clothing did a great job distinguishing the economic status of each of the characters. The clean suites and swastikas worn by the Nazis to the tattered and ripped-up clothing of the Jews made it very easy to determine where each character ranked.
Overall, Dear Finder 2018 was a very elaborate and extremely well designed play. The realism and brutal honest nature of the production left the audience with a sense of guilt and sadness. Dear Finder is a must watch play. Without a doubt.
7.5/10 stars.
Dear Finder 2018
ReplyDeleteMaisie Wingert
The 2018 production of Dear Finder, written and directed by Tom Isbell, was a chilling reenactment of the horrific events that occurred during the Holocaust. The performance left the audience utterly speechless and had many in tears.
Depicting the events of the Holocaust is no easy feat and if done poorly can be very disrespectful to the actual events that took place but, Isbell did an excellent job of addressing this issue by breaking that wall and explaining why he chose to do the play, within the play itself. By doing this the audience was able to not only have more insight into the creation of the play, but it also drew a great amount of significance to the ultimate reason Isbell decided to do the play: the importance of remembering the past. It was largely illustrated that without plays, other works of art, and simply talking about the fault’s of human history things weren’t ever going to get better and horrific events like these would happen again. Evidence of this idea comes in particularly at the end of the play when similar events of prejudice and hate are brought to light decades after the actual events of the Holocaust and while they may not be on the same scale as the Holocaust they still reflect the views people during that time had. This is what makes this play so significant. It’s not just the retelling of terrible stories, it’s the teaching of terrible stories.
While the play’s script illustrates this idea of being better for the future by remembering the past, it takes a very skilled team of actors to accomplish its goals. The use of body language throughout the play is truly what gave it its credibility. Reenacting the cramped swaying of the cattle cars, the close sleeping quarters within the barracks, and the process of being shot then buried are things all of the actors playing survivors did extremely well. These are all things that are difficult to express in words and really get the meaning across so the fact that these actions were done so well really helps give the actions of the Holocaust a solid ground. This being said, some of the acting involving only speaking didn’t quite measure up to the intensity of those scenes and left the audience thinking they held less significance. An example of this would be when survivors were telling their stories, such as the woman who jumped into the trench to avoid being shot and proceeded to crawl out from beneath multiple bodies above her. While this story was important, it simply didn’t give off the same importance as the scenes that were completely acted out.
Dear Finder 2018 was a production filled with serious and tragic events from the Holocaust that brought to light just how important it is to remember the awful so as not to repeat it. Isbell did an excellent job of this and did not waste the time of anyone who attended.
Kailee Johnson
ReplyDeleteTwenty years after the first production of Dear Finder, Tom Isabel, playwright and director, put on a third and final showing of it. Dear Finder 2018 made its first performance at the Marshall Performing Arts Center on October 11. A heart-wrenching series of stories and events of the holocaust portrayed by talented, empathetic actors unified the audience with its motto, “Never again.”
A diverse range of talent shone through the actors on stage. They played the role of Nazi officials with a demanding aggressiveness. Rhythmic clapping helped the actors to assert themselves into figures of authority and terror; however, at times, the clapping drowned out the words of the characters. Even so, it was an effective way to keep the audience’s attention amongst the lists of events presented.
The actors were also very skilled at playing the victims of the Nazis. They told the stories of the survivors with such a particular humbleness, it was difficult for the audience to do anything but listen and let the horrors of their stories truly sink in. In between scenes, the theatre was absolutely silent, as nobody present dared to even cough in anticipation for the next horrific account. In opposition to violent clapping, the survivors simply hummed a beautiful song in unison. It was an extremely effective choice--innocent and heart-breaking.
The only two actors that didn’t quite fit into the production were Addison Sim and Anna Mathes. Sim played the role of the playwright, while Mathes portrayed an interviewer, questioning him about Dear Finder. Both Sim and Mathes lacked a perceivable interest in what they were discussing, which led the interactions between the two to come off as awkward and overly-practiced. That being said, the scenes between the two were still beneficial to the play as a whole, as it aided in giving the play a progressive plot line.
The actors weren’t the only aspect of the play to provide the audience with an achingly raw perspective of the time period. Ashley Woods, scenic designer, fantastically created a set in which the cleanliness of a museum could be transformed into the slums of the Jewish ghettos. Woods also placed the play’s iconic dirt pit as close to the audience as possible, allowing them to see, up close, the shocking portrayal of the Jewish people digging their own graves. The lighting, designed by Jon Brophy, created a simple, natural mood to match the elemental tone of the stage. It was this simple lighting that helped to create the raw image of human suffering throughout the play. Costumes, designed by Patricia Dennis, also contributed to this. Specifically, the costumes used for inside the concentration camps were demeaning and dirty. The fact that the actors changed into them onstage was equally impactful, as it showed how vulnerable their characters were.
At the end of the production, the play was given a well-deserved standing ovation. Looking around the theatre, one could visibly see how shaken and horrified each person was. People wiped away their tears, and others hugged each other and said nothing. Dear Finder 2018 was a touching, raw representation of human suffering and the dangers of hatred. Anything that holds a message as important as this one should be witnessed by everyone.
Isabelle Orke
ReplyDeleteDear Finder 2018
A play that has even more significant value than twenty-years ago when the play first was presented to the public. As years have passed and tragic events have occured the long list of resemblances from the Holocaust lengthens. Tom Isbell was the original playwright and director of the play and as he brought back his play in 2018, he shows through actors’ lines and symbols of his play that in the most recent events there are thought provoking similarities of an event that ended roughly seventy-three years ago.
The use of the sets and stage proved to be multi purposeful and minimal. The stage was transitioned from a historical museum that informed the visitors about artifacts found from the events and then it smoothly moved into a 1940s minimal set with steel stairs and a basic background of black. The front of the stage had a map of the world and an ingenious use of it during the listings of Hitler and his Nazi following taking over the world pieces of the map was removed to reveal dirt. The use of the dirt seemed to symbolize the intense labor that Holocaust prisoners had to go through at camps and the uncoincidental aspect of them digging their own graves. The actors who played as the Holocaust survivors used striking body movement and language that caught the audience attention of reality many prisoners being shot and their bodies falling into the dirt that was predicted to be their graves.
The costumes of the play were simple and contributed to create a character for each era that the actors were representing. During the first scene at the museum, the actors were in costumes that anyone would see walking around outside. An array of different ages was seen through the clothing with a young woman in casual attire, a young man with a backpack and a cap that could be presumed to be in school, and a man that looked like a career and family man. Each created a background story through their clothes since they did not speak during this scene. It provides the audience to identify with these characters that are in the current era.
The costumes for the actors that were portrayed in the 1930s-40s era embodied the essence of fashion then. Nothing extravagant for the citizens, most were in what was expected if one was not wealthy. The clothing was monochromatic and clean. The soldiers uniform spoke true militaristic fashion. Presumably copying pictures from what the costume designers have seen from historic pictures and knowledge, the costumes were designed acutely.
The actor's portrayal of the holocaust survivors was respectful and with admirable skill. Even without speaking and just through body language and movement the audience was able to psychologically create emotions to either feel sorrow or compassion. The power of the lines for most actors especially during the scene of listing of when Hitler and the German military took over some countries was effective and threatening in a way. Threatened because of the abrupt speaking from countries saying they will not fall into power and then in a matter of months had.
Dear Finder was a striking production that respectfully documented the past of a horrific event that many are still affected by or some believe never happened. Tom Isbell’s rendition of his play throughout the years adds the intensity of what we need to question within our society that seems to continue happening of targeting minorities and exploiting them.
The performance of Dear Finder was incredibly impacting and intense leaving many with a pit in their stomach. Every aspect of the play seemed to have great thought and consideration put into it which was what made the play so impactful.
ReplyDeleteThis play heavily depended on lighting and sound being good. The spot light on the individuals explaining narration of specific stories helped direct the audience’s focus despite any chaos that may have just happened. The spot lights also helped with showing the emotion of the actors or actresses. When Rachel Williams was giving her monologue on stage the spotlight illustrated the expression on her face when telling the story and directed everyone’s attention just to her. Lighting had to be effective in indicating where each scene was taking place; the fire for the book burning and the train lights needed to be obvious. Sounds needed to be unexpected to have the audience share the same constant uncertainty with the characters onstage. All of this was accomplished very well and left the audience with the impact it had intended.
The set was strategic in how it was built to be as simple as possible which at times was clever, but at other times just led to confusion. The set was clever during a part of the play that explained to the audience how prisoners were packed into train cars for long periods of time. The arch for the bridge/stairs was not a perfect arch but rather shaped to look like the arch at the entrance to Auschwitz. This along with the lights moving to appear like the prisoners were in a train and the people tightly packed together made it obvious without a lot of scenery where the people were and where they were going. The strategic simplicity of the set worked well in some situations but not so well in others. One issue was that on the ground there was a map, but because of its color and location, the audience wasn’t able to identify it as a map until later on in the play. Another issue was how the defendant and prosecutor scenes were represented on stage. Although eventually people were able to see that what was happening on stage was a court trial, this was not because it was obvious where the scene was taking place but how the prosecutor (actress Addison Sim) was framing and asking her questions and how the defendant (actor Brenden Finn) was reacting to them. Because of the way the set was designed it seemed that the audience relied a lot more on the props and acting to understand what was going on than the set.
The actors in the play really affected the audience with the emotion of the stories and of the message. Rachel Williams was an actor in the performance that did this especially well. In the end she sprinkles teeth on the ground from all the people who died. Although the story she tells while sprinkling the teeth is by itself gut wrenching her expression while explaining the story was what engaged the audience. There were lots of points in the play where matching what was being said with the reaction to saying it was important.
Some directing choices were good and others were not in matching the correct reaction with what was being said. One that wasn’t great was the reaction to being in the gas chambers. The narration before the event explained how people were screaming, running to get out, scratching at the walls, holding their breath; it sound desperate and painful.The acting didn't reflect the desperation, fear or pain; people just calmly fell to the ground. Acting out the scene should have been similar to how it was narrated. A directing choice that was clever was having everyone on stage clap in unison while others explained the facts leading up to the holocaust. This was a way of subtly explaining how the society was becoming more unified towards the same objective and how people were conforming to meet certain expectations of the nazi party.
The performance of Dear Finder was very good. All aspects of the play were put into consideration and this is what made the play so impacting.
A review of Dear Finder 2018 by Jessica Wheeler
ReplyDeleteDear Finder 2018 was an incredibly moving one act docudrama-style play surrounding the events of the Holocaust and the murder of millions under Nazi persecution. Flashing between a present day museum setting and the German universities, Jewish ghettos, and the concentration camps of the 1940’s, Tom Isabel has written and directed a much needed reminder of what comes from human cruelty. In the first few minutes, one actor cites Heinrich Heine, foreshadowing the chilling contents of the play: “Where they burn books, they will too, in the end, burn people”.
Each and every actor seamlessly wove the stories presented together, switching from character to character sometimes instantly. In one moment, a majority of the ensemble were people packed in a railway car heading for almost certain death, and the next, they were German university students, literally ripping the floor up in rage and protest. Each character was presented with incredible emotion and palpability, allowing the audience to fully immerse themselves in the lives and experiences of those touched by the Holocaust.
Although every member of the cast was outstanding, one survivor, Rachel Williams, gave an especially notable performance. While telling her character’s story of surviving a mass shooting, Williams was undeniably raw and authentic, forcing the audience to absorb the harsh reality of what happened. During Williams’ monologue the audience was completely captivated, stunned by the sudden emptiness of the stage and the bluntness of her words.
The technical aspects of Dear Finder 2018 are certainly worthy of mention. Scenic designer Ashley Woods allowed the show to begin in a pristine, modern museum and morph into many other settings, including ghettos and concentration camps, by removing walls and having actors pull up the floorboards. Dirt was featured on the stage, adding a textural element and bringing a sense of legitimacy and fluidity into the story. Seeing actors digging and burying each other in dirt grounded the performance and served as a reminder of how human and real the stories were.
Although a majority of the performance was engaging and seemingly errorless, there were several moments in the first minutes of the production that distracted from the plot. Clapping and marching were featured heavily in these first scenes and portrayed the threatening and militaristic nature of the Nazi soldiers. Unfortunately, while this aggressive spirit was certainly captured, many lines were unable to be heard due to the noise. This lasted only a few moments, however, and was not overly detrimental to the production.
Overall, the cast and crew of Dear Finder 2018 deservedly captured and retained the attention of the audience for the entire production as they forced everyone to remember the extreme failure of humankind through the events of the Holocaust. This reminder is necessary because the climate of our world today is allowing terrible tragedies to occur, almost as though we have forgotten the promise of “never again”. Dear Finder 2018 was a touching and incredibly important production.
Review of Dear Finder
ReplyDeleteBy: Kjersten Jones
Brigitte Nicole once said: “sometimes people won’t understand how you feel until it happens to them, until they experience the pain”. Dear Finder, written and directed by Tom Isbell, haunts and enlightens the auditorium with the knowledge that while most will never understand the pain and torment of the survivors of the Holocaust, it is imperative to always seek to understand.
Lighting designer, Jon Brophy, and the director worked together marvelously to breath life into this incredible docudrama about the Holocaust. Starting the play in a crisp, quiet, white museum greatly contrasted and set the tone for the dark events of the Holocaust. One of the first events of the Holocaust- the gathering and burning of books that opposed Nazi ideology- had a huge contrast to the museum. Red lighting flickered across the stage as if a huge fire was just off to the right. Actors stomped loudly as they ran around the stage, picking up books and throwing them into the “fire”. The scene was absolute chaos, and demonstrated the ludicrously of the Nazi Party.
Tom Isbell made the directorial decision to have the Nazi soldiers clap during the beginning of the play, and the Holocaust survivors hum during the end. The humming is easily distinguishable as symbolic of the hope and perseverance of the survivors, while the clapping is symbolic of the uniformity and brute force of the Nazi Party. Both were effective and important to the theme of the play, but the clapping distracted from lines, and in some cases, completely drowned them out.
As this is a docudrama play, most of the actors were not playing specific people. They were either Nazi soldiers or Holocaust survivors. Having nameless characters emphasized the distance that time has created from 1941 to 2018. Not many people can cite holocaust survivors by name. The play does not bring this up as a problem, but what it does bring attention to is the frightening memory loss many have seemed to grab onto when facing atrocities such as the Holocaust. This problem is backed up with the phrase “Never Again” repeated throughout the play, and is further addressed at the end of the play with the reciting of additional events leading up to recent history that resemble the horrors of the Holocaust. Tom Isbell’s use of “Never Again” creates a strong yearning for change and empathy for those who have had to, and are now facing, that dreaded “Again”.
The cast and crew of Dear Finder did a fantastic job acting out the Holocaust in an empathetic and respectful way. Despite clapping drowning some lines, they still established a want for “Never Again”, and brought back the voices of survivors that were fading in time, as well as those who faced and are facing persecution in recent history. This play is most certainly a must-see.
After seeing the play Dear Finder put on by the University of Minnesota’s Duluth theatre program one might focus on the artistic perspective of ultimately, “How well did the actors provide believable characters?” This is a question that arose during and after the stories being told by each individual actor as each actor played up to two or more other characters throughout the whole performance. Having actors play more than one character truly showcased their talents and skill sets as they were transformed from character to character.
ReplyDeleteThe opening of the play was a scene that portrayed a modern musem that captured the audiences attention as it was moderinzed even though the audience expected it to be all in the late 1800’s when the Holocaust occured. This made the play take control of having a unique aspect compared to the other various productions done by other theatre companies. Progressing onto the next chapter a character who is the playwright instructor played by Addison Sim explained his reasoning for why he wanted to produce this play and gave insights to an interviewer played by Anna Matthes about what was going to occur in the play. The conversing between both actors was in depth and made each actor truly think about the reasoning, affects, and deception the play was going to entail or foreshadow.
There was a scene where each actor shared facts about World War two and how the Natzies invaded Germany. It was told as if they had produced the facts because of their confidence in what they each shared with the audience. Each fact, opinion, or thought was evenly spaced throughout the play precisely, which emphasized each scene of the play to enhance the information and flow of the story. For example the scene where the audience is in the midst of a dark room as a spotlight is shown on a girl with blonde hair, in a blue corduroy jacket and matching skirt named Dina, proceeded to talk about leaving her two children and being buried in a pile of humans pretending to be dead, the actor played by Rachel Williams, shed tears as she told this story of a young mother through her own word of mouth. Each actor playing a survivor felt the emotions there characters must of felt to a capacity of crying and weeping because of the misery and suffering each survivor experienced. The actors who played survivors also did a tremendous job portraying their characters, especially with the help of the costume and make-up designer, Patricia Dennis. Having those intricate costumes and make-up affects made the performance feel like it was like a history lesson made into real life.
The performance wouldn’t of been compelling without the lighting and stage coregraphing done by Jon Brophy and Keara Lavandowska. Each element placed on the actors and the stage was a piece that made the play enjoyable to watch as each element had a story. Especially the floor where the dirt was hidden showed visual aid to help understand how much of the continent was taken over by the invasion of Germany, which was a great addition that Ashley Ann Woods placed in her drawings to transform on stage. The actors could be completely in their characters due to these aspects.
The end was drawing near of the play and there was a line that stuck out that was told by the playwright, “never again.” A reminder to never let this happen ever again. A strong message that connected to all of the news from the late 1900’s to now was projected and shared for the audience to get a sense of what is going on around the world. This was an aspect of the play Tom Isbell added in, which enhanced the importance of the words, “never again” for the audience to reflect on as they left the theatre. The play was done with passion and significance, which will be a play the audience won’t forget. It will be a reminder that will be instilled in each audience member touched by the performance to never again let those events happen.
Lindsey Kauffman
Dear Finder Play Review
ReplyDeleteJordan Knudsvig
The showing of Dear Finder at the Marshall Performing Arts Center captured the horrific events of the holocaust and managed to eloquently show the audience that we as a people have not learned to be more inclusive towards people of all shapes, sizes, colors, orientations, and religions.
The actors, themselves, showed a great deal of emotion in delivering their lines. They made the entire audience feel the raw pain that they were portraying in a very near perfect way. The actors who had stories to tell of their character’s personal experiences during the holocaust made the audience truly believe that they had been the ones to experience these events. They almost made the audience feel as though they had been there during these events as well.
Putting the acting aside, the set work was stunning. The use of the dirt pit to show the slave labor the Jews went through was absolutely breathtaking. Watching the actors bury each other in the dirt as they were being shot was so painfully surreal.
The play was a gigantic success and made the audience really think about the events currently happening in the world and clearly see that people as a whole haven’t learned the idea of inclusivity. This play could greatly impact people in a way that could only be beneficial.
Lindsay Boge
ReplyDeleteThe play Dear Finder that was performed in the Marshall Performing Arts Center was a magnificent play that shared the terrifying stories of those who suffered through the Holocaust. The stories they told about the babies being used as targets and the people holding children being sent right to the gas chambers were sickening. The way the actors interacted with the audience and told facts about the Holocaust helped set a mood for just how bad this time was for the Jews and many other races.
The director made very interesting choices when remaking this play for the third time, 30 years later. Starting the play off with the the museum setting was an interesting way to begin. The actors did a great job of fitting the roles of those who suffered. Some were able to shed real tears to show the saddest they went through. The way that they spoke showed not only their fear, but their anger and much they despised the Germans. One of the strongest moments through the whole play was when they dug their own graves down in the front center of the stage for the whole audience to see clearly. You could hear a pin drop in the audience just from how powerful the scene was. Everyone was so engaged in the performance the entire time.
This was the first time I’ve seen a play in the form of a documentary and it was jaw dropping. For performers to be able to fit a role so well, and have everyone in the audience astonished, is insane. We all hear about how bad the Holocaust is, but to see people acting out how it really was, put it in a whole new perspective. It was heartbreaking to see how these people were treated during this time and it wouldn’t have had as big of an impact if the actors couldn’t fit the roles. The people the director chose for this play could not have been a better fit.
The final scene was a great way to end the play. Through the whole play teeth was brought out multiple times and was said to be the reason to remake the play. At the end of the play one of the main characters stood in the front center stage and sprinkled the teeth out onto the dirt. Those teeth were from all the hundreds of thousands of innocent people who went through the horrors that is the Holocaust. This final moment was the ending of the intriguing play that was so amazingly written by the director. It could not have been better written. The jaw dropping performance brought everyone in the room to their feet. If you are the type of person who is interested in the Holocaust, Dear Finder is the play to see.
Dear Finder Play Review
ReplyDeleteBy Brock Penton
Dear Finder is a very intense, dramatic play put on by many talented actors. The main purpose of this play is to have the spectator recognize how brutal the Holocaust was and how it should never happen again. This is the obvious idea given from the play, but the main point comes towards the end of the play when the actors are dressed in their modern clothes. The actors start listing these hate crimes related to the Holocaust made all over the world within the past twenty years. This makes the spectator realize how even though the Holocaust occurred seventy-four years ago, there are still people out there who support it or don’t believe in it ever happening.
For this play to be at its full potential, it needed some of the best actors to star in it. The scenes were very intense and powerful, it was very harsh during certain scenes, but it being harsh is the whole point for making the spectator realize that anything remotely close to the Holocaust should never happen. Rachel Williams, who was playing the character of a mother who survived a brutal massacre by the Nazis. The scene only contains Rachel and she tells the story of how she survived the massacre. It seems as if Rachel was actually there to experience it, totally forgetting the fact that she is a student, and she is telling her survivor story. It feels personal since she makes eye-contact with the people in the audience. The expressions Rachel had during this scene were very impactful and made the scene feel more real. The visuals they used throughout the play were very clever and impactful. During the beginning of the play, the floor of one of the stages was the continent of Europe, and as the actors were talking about the Nazi invasions, the actors would take the floorboard out of the floor representing what country Germany had invaded. Tom Isbell did an outstanding job with his visuals throughout this play.
This play was done very well with the visuals, the actors, and the plot. Tom Isbell left the crowd thinking about not only the play but about the hate crimes that still occur in today’s world. The Holocaust is a difficult historic event to reenact and Tom Isbell did an outstanding job with this play.
Dear Finder Review
ReplyDeleteCyril Xiong
Dear Finder
The play “Dear Finder 2018” by the University Of Minnesota Duluth Department of Theater, was about the telling of a historical event, the Holocaust. The play “Dear Finder 2018” was played for the 20th anniversary since the play’s creation. Dear finder was played two times before, the first time being played in 1998 and the second for its 10th anniversary in 2008.
The play Dear Finder was an informative play as the play did not follow through a form of story to entertain the audience, but rather told the truth of history during the time of WWII. The informative portions of the play, where the cast members would talk directly to the audience about statistics and major times of WWII, was captivating and interactive. The cast members did an amazing job acting out the various scenes from the play. During the play, one scene that was the most impactful was a scene where they talked about Jew executions before they started using the commonly known gas chambers. A couple of cast members would inform the audience of the executions and how they were done all while the actors would act through what they informed us with. The cast members would tell us about how Jews would dig their own graves to be executed, which in this case was a gunshot to the head. The stage had the floor boards removed for this scene, and underneath the boards was bedded with dirt. The dirt also played an important part in this scene as the actors dug their spot where they would lay down. The cast members who played as the Jews were lined up to bury their own grave to be executed. Even after one of them got executed the next one would dig their grave right next to the other cast member. This scene played a powerful role throughout the play and was really surreal. With this play being the 20th rendition of the play, many would wonder what the previous play would have been like.
One important thing that can be differed from the other two previous Dear Finder plays was that it was preformed without intermission. The choice of having this play without intermission was a good decision by the playwright. UMD Theater Professor, Mark Harvey, stated that having an intermission for a play as heavy as this topic is, it may cause some viewers to be discouraged from watching the rest of the play. This would then cause many of the audience to lose focus and potentially leave the play. Having the play in one sitting also helps to have audiences to stay immersed as well. Even though the play in for one long sitting, the theater allowed anyone to step out if they felt uncomfortable, or if the imagery disturbed them.
Dear Finder 2018 was an informative play about the Holocaust during WWII. The play covered heavy topics such as the execution of Jews and concentrations camps. The acting for the play was great as it helped to imagine what life might have been during that time. There was also very informative information which was interesting and intrigued many viewers. When the next rendition for Dear Finder comes, many will want to see this walk-through history play as it is an event in history that should not be forgotten and remembered. It is even stressed in the play that it is something that should never have to be repeated again.
Dear Finder Review
ReplyDeleteShalane Lee
“Dear Finder 2018” is a play by The University of Minnesota Duluth Department of Theatre. It was a play about the Holocaust and was played for the 20th anniversary of the play’s creation. The first time Dear Finder was played was 1998, the second time was 2008, and now 2018.
The play Dear Finder was very factual and showed lots of background during the times of World War II. It did a very good job at stating facts and showing what life was like for prisoners during this historical time period. One could tell that the focus of it was not to entertain but to inform. While acting, the actors and actresses did very well when it was their part to individually walk to the front of the stage and state a certain fact about the Holocaust while the rest continued acting their parts. It was coordinated nicely and no one seemed to have lost their place when they walked back into position. The cast did an amazing job at expressing an emotional play on the stage.
The scene that had the most impact would be when the actors and actresses were acting as imprisoned Jews that were forced to dig their own grave. It was the most memorable scene because there was actual dirt on the stage. So each individual actually dug up real dirt on stage and fell into in when they were shot. This showed a really good glance at what prisoners went through during World War II. There were three versions of this play, which would make some audience members ask how the last two were produced and how well does it inform the audience on the Holocaust. Dear Finder lasted about two hours without any intermission. In contrast, the previous Dear Finder plays had an intermission during the show. It was a good idea of the producer to not have an intermission because since it’s such a heavy, depressing topic, it’s a good idea to give it all to the audience. Because if there was an intermission, there’s a chance that people will lose heart to watch the rest of the play and leave from the topics mentioned during the play.
-Peter Koering
ReplyDeleteDear Finder 2018 a docudrama, a style of show not often attempted. A UMD classic, this being its 20th anniversary, not only does is live up to its reputation it builds on it. With such sensitive subject matter, Tom Isbell addresses it with respect and realism in both writing and directing. A key example of this is the use of dirt within the show, very unorthodox for a theatre performance, yet a great symbol and stage piece. Being able to see a characters costume slowly become more unruly add a visual element that would greatly detriment the show without.
The raw emotion of the actors was extremely powerful, telling real stories as if they had lived it themselves is a very difficult skill to master. Yet not only did every actor pull this off, it was done so well that the acting sucked you into the show. This was well done as it contrasted the direct monologues snapping watchers back to reality. This back and forth perspective of the show was amazing. The most compelling aspect of this show is the personal stories portrayed, and the acting behind the stories. It is extremely hard to ignore or misunderstand a message when such compelling emotion is put behind such powerful words.
The work Ashley Woods did with scenic design is exceptional, making use of every possible square foot of room, both horizontal and vertical, without making the stage feel cramped is excellent craftsman ship. Nearly every edge was sharp and perpendicular, which only made the decorative arch in the center of the stage pop. The woodwork on the “boardwalk” doubling as a map of the world is also very creative and brilliant. Watching the stage unfold as the massive dividers were slowly moved back creating a “whole” and leaving an eerie feeling thought the progress of the show.
A show such as this is difficult to critique because the audience is so drawn into the scenes that one forgets the goal of criticism. Alost forcing a second showing. The overall length of the show feels very awkward, too long for a one act yet at the same time, leaves more to be wanted for substance. The pace seemed slightly rushed at times and during monologue sections more drawn out. The cliché of “on the edge of your seats” became increasingly real as fast pace pulled the audience into the action.
Isbell’s writing is what makes this show truly great, the acting is amazing, the premise is interesting, but the writing is so raw that the rest of the show simply follows. This show being a rewrite of previous productions only adds to the allure, a show that has a precedent to be rewritten and reproduced in 2028. It is truly a show for every generation, with lessons that need to be shared, and history that needs to be taught. It is necessary that this tradition is kept. With less and less taught of this era in todays history class, the words of George Santayana echo. “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.”
Dear Finder 2018
ReplyDeleteIzzy Bursey
Dear Finder 2018 was performed in the Marshall Performing Arts Center by the University of Minnesota Duluth Department of Theatre. It was performed once again, twenty years after the first performance and ten years after the second rendition.
The playwright and director was Tom Isbell. Having the roles of both the playwright and director, he was able to make the play exactly how he envisioned it. With no intermission, it forced the audience to stay engaged from beginning to end. Having an intermission would’ve caused the audience to lose focus of the play. No intermission was a smart call by Isbell. Isbell’s choice to use clapping to imitate the sound of marching was a good idea, but it wasn’t executed as well. The clapping made it hard to understand the meaningful words that the actors had to say.
There were 16 actors in the play. The actors who played survivors were captivating. The survivors talked directly to the audience. The performances of the playwright and the reporter were unbalanced compared to the performances of the survivors. This was not because the actors were bad at what they did, but rather how their characters were written into the script of the play. Their parts could not have had the impact that the other actors did. When the actors talked to the audience, they were overwhelming with the amount of facts and information. It was much more intense than reading the book Night by Elie Wiesel or watching the movie Schindler’s List.
The scenic designer, Ashley Ann Woods did an amazing job at creating the scene of the stage. With all the straight edges, except the arch that represented the entrance of one of the concentration camps was a great use of symbolism. The factor of dirt was quite overwhelming as it represented the painful marks and memories left on the survivors.
Overall, Dear Finder 2018 was a success. The collaboration between Isbell and Woods was especially powerful. The message Isbell wanted to convey was definitely received by the audience. The torture that the survivors had to go through was shown to an extent that was hard to watch and imagine. It left everyone with a new look on the horrific conclusion of the Holocaust.
The bar was set high while UMD opened up their theatre season on Thursday night with Tom Isbell’s latest reiteration of Dear Finder. While there was now no intermission this time around that did not stop the powerful message from being heard across the auditorium. Written by Tom Isbell and seven University of Minnesota Duluth students, Dear Finder has claimed a name for fame here in Duluth.
ReplyDelete“We shouldn’t be doing this play again” a quote from Isbell himself and stated again by the playwright within Dear Finder. As viewers, the thought of the holocaust is distant but remembered through photos and interviews on the television. In Dear finder the audience faces these events through chilling visuals and harrowing stories being told by actors. The rise of Hitler’s regime is on display for people to see and leaves little to the imagination.
Addison Sim took on a significant yet short role as the playwright. As the play opens Sim spoke to the interviewer and recollected why he wrote Dear Finder. Sim made the role his own by his nervous gestures and dramatic reluctance to be direct and open with the interviewer on stage.
Brendan Finn’s smaller role as the defendant appeared far too relaxed while his opposite Amanda Hennen as the prosecutor lead with more believable emotions. Perhaps he could have put more emphasis on the aspect that he played a Nazi being prosecuted at the stand.
The sound released from the actors were menacing and booming. Clear deep tones of chanting in unison reflecting strength in numbers to the soft humming of Jews who are diminishing one by one. This woke up the audience and had an in your face presence that something is terribly wrong.
Guest scenic designer Ashley Ann Woods set the mood early on by putting forth a set that is simple yet versatile. The large colorless columns reflected accurately the despair and emptiness the jews felt. From a museum to a gas chamber the audience could not catch a break from the factual yet horrific past Dear Finder presents.
The dirt on stage was a great directorial decision on Isbell's behalf. Seeing the actors cover each other in dirt while it was partially tossed off stage was frightening for those sitting towards the front.
Dear Finder truly bares all to prevent an atrocity like the Holocaust from occuring again. Closing off the night, the actors presented information happening throughout the world. It was a clear reminder that although the Holocaust is in the past, these events of hatred and prejudice are still prevalent in present times.
This documentary like performance works hard to ensure not one person leaves without knowing the truth of dark times in history like the Holocaust. There is always time to reflect and change and plays like Dear Finder is a reminder of what could be repeated if the change is not made now.
-Mireya Valadez
Dear Finder 2018
ReplyDeleteBy Matthew Friesen
Dear Finder 2018 displays the atrocities that happened in the Holocaust. It follows a group of Jewish people as they go through the Holocaust. It is able to show how much the Jews would have had to suffer through it all. It has locations all throughout Europe. The play going from Modern Times to the past.
Tom Isbell is the director and playwright for this play. He has directed this play multiple times. In 1997 Tom Isbell and a couple of students set off to write this play. The had to do a lot of research to write this play. His script is full of monologues from people in Ghettos. His ideas to put a modern twist on the play to make the same play different was great. He was able to add how he wrote the play into the script while still being able to intertwine it into the play. He picked a great cast to execute his idea. The idea to just have all the characters wear plain colors and just have the Nazis wear a red band to make it pop.
The cast was really good. The did not have any mishaps like stumbling over words or forgetting lines. The survivors that had monologues did a very nice job and they were able to add an emotional aspect to their monologues. They were able to tell such powerful stories from the Holocaust and the audience felt it. There were sighs and comments full of shock. Addison Sims, played the playwright, played this character extremely well. From his tone to his body language, he really made it seem that he wrote the play. The officers did a good job of making them seem like they are powerful figures. The cast really blended well together and made the play really good.
The creative team behind this play did a great job. The scenery was very interesting to watch transform from a museum to a ghetto or a courtroom. The fog in the courtroom was a cool touch and it added a sense of mystery. The dirt that they used for the mass shooting scene was a very powerful moment and the play would not be the same without it. The lighting was also a huge part in making this play so meaningful. There was a scene were the survivors where they were on a train. The train has no light until the door opens and the lighting looks like there was a real door and light shines over them. It was very interesting to witness. Another scene that had a cool lighting, was the courtroom scene. The fog and light hit and it added another effect of fear and anxiety.
Not again. This play was great. It was ended with horrific events that happened during 2018. This moment of the play really was able to display that there are horrific events today and that they need to stop. I would recommend this play to anyone.