Madeleine McCormick | News Editor

Once again, Anderson Auditorium has been transformed into an avenue for imagination and creativity as Buena Vista University Theatre prepares for its performance of The Language Archive, directed by Dr. Bethany Larson, Associate Professor of Theatre.

The production begins Nov. 2 and runs through Nov. 5. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m.

The show is armed with a cast of 11, and an exploration of many different languages, including those that are lost, which is the preface of this production, according to Larson.

“This play is a delicate exploration of communication and connection between people.  It is also about languages and the value of the many languages in the world, especially because language constructs the way we think about the world around us,” Larson said.

Larson’s inspiration for this play came from a concern with society’s inability to communicate civilly and effectively,which is why her goals for her actors are to allow the audience to simply notice the obstacles presented for each of the characters.

“I am distressed by the lack of civility in our national discourse and in our interpersonal communication in recent years So the challenge for the actors is to build a very vibrant inner reality and then create a strong obstacle that prevents them from sharing it except in very small ways that the audience can perceive.  Normally, as a director, I’m asking my actors to go further in embodying their character’s inner thoughts, but on this show I have to stimulate their inner world and also restrain their outward demonstration of that inner reality just enough so the audience can glimpse it.”

This is also the reason the audience is so close. The audience members will be seated upon the stage with the actors, protected by wide black blinders reaching as high as the set.

According to a review in the New York Times, “George, the scholar of dead or dying languages [has] love troubles [that] are the focus of Ms. Cho’s sweet-tempered but whimsy-ridden comedy.”

The focus of this play is not only on language, but the preservation of our native tongue as a vehicle for communicating many things, particularly love.

Students began rehearsals for the production in early September, and have been working together in what Larson describes more lackadaisically than stereotypical rehearsals.

“At first we did a lot of work to create a sense of ensemble and trust.  To be honest, this “work” was more like playfulness as we came together to form the bonds that make this cast work so beautifully together.”

The cast for this show is:

Austin Dean – George

Rachel LaPaglia – Mary

Skylar Finch – Emma

Matthew Schulz – Resten

Linda Torres – Alta

Chancellor Johnson – Baker

Tara Smith – Instructor

Cole Hackbarth – Zamenhof

London VanHorbeck – Passerby

Glenn Hackbarth – Passerby

Dernisha Hoover – Conductor

Costume Design – Taylor Prather

Lights – Austin Adamson

Sound – Melissa Graf, Alex Runneberg

The cast has been rehearsing from 6-8:30 p.m. weeknights, excluding Tuesdays in which they begin rehearsal at 7:30.  The cast starts with warm ups creating a bridge between reality and the imaginary life inside the theater.  Larson’s rehearsal strategies help prepare the students to bring to life their new world so they are able to best deliver this world to the audience.

“Some nights I would work on specific parts of the play, focusing on character choices,” Larson said. “Other nights, we’d do run through’s of an act or a section to establish tempo and rhythm.”

The performance will also include Dr. Robbie Ludy, an American Sign Language interpreter, signing along as the show is performed.

“It seems especially appropriate that a play about language and communication should also be interpreted for those patrons who may not be able to hear or who are interested in balancing the act of listening with the experience of encountering ASL in a performance,” Larson said.

Larson hints at the irony of one word to describe The Language Archive, when she says this play is “innocuous.”

“It doesn’t really tell the audience much about what is going to happen, and it doesn’t suggest high energy action,” she said. “However, I think that some of the most profound experiences of our lives come in very small, deeply personal moments.  These are moments when the world shifts or our perspective changes or we come untethered from what once anchored us.  And I wanted to explore the achingly beautiful reality of being human and vulnerable: how hard yet healing it can be when someone else reaches out to you to hold your hand, sit with you in a dark time, or embrace you when you can’t hold yourself together.  That’s what this play is about.”

Tickets are available for purchase at: https://events.bvu.edu/event/the-language-archive-by-julia-cho/.

Photos by Emily Kenny