Oleanna
By David Mamet
Directed by Terry Farren, assisted by Cat Kristoff, and performed by Shannon O’Riordan and Brad Mazick
Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at 7:30 pm
Staged Readings are performed with script in hand and very minimal props, costumes, or blocking. No memorization is required; and most are done with 3 rehearsals.
Place: Acting Ensemble on the Avenue, 602 E Mishawaka Ave, Mishawaka IN 46545
A seething investigation of “political correctness” in a time when the nation’s morality has been tested by increased incidents of sexual harassment.
Adult material and content
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Story: A college student, Carol, drops by her professor’s office in an effort to gain his help to do better in class. John, the professor, in the midst of buying a house to celebrate his nomination for tenure, at first seems distant. As the first meeting progresses the two discuss the nature of understanding and judgment in society, as well as their very own natures and places in our society. It seems as if a bond has been made. When next they meet we find that a report has been filed to the tenure committee. Carol has joined a “group” and has decided that John sexually harassed her during their first meeting. Their second meeting dissects the first; every word, every nuance of the first meeting has been twisted into something else. Or has it? John’s unsuccessful attempts to convince Carol to retract her accusation escalate to a more dangerous level. The third meeting, one the court officers warned against, climaxes violently, leaving John and Carol both physically and emotionally devastated.
“Brutal and brilliant…this is theatre at its most riveting, filled with intellectual complexity alongside visceral anger, and gaining greater meaning over time.” – The Guardian
“OLEANNA is likely to provoke more arguments than any play this year.” —The New York Times.
“One of the ten best plays of 1992…reason enough to cheer for the future of the theatre.” —Time Magazine.
