2008 Woodie Awards
Conservatory play depicts second wave of feminism
Pearls of wisdom
By: Anna Forder
Issue date: 4/6/06 Section: LifeStyle
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It charts the movement of the pearls through the lives of the characters as the pearls are lost, stolen and rejected. The play focuses on the experiences of the character in possession of the pearls as that woman experiences the sorrow and joy of living.
The play has a wide range of scenes that range from sorrow over slowly losing a mother to Alzheimer's disease to a character's elation over rekindling a relationship with her husband.
The director of the play, Kathleen Singleton, five of the six members of the all-female cast and four crew members presented a brown bag lunch March 29, "How to Direct a Feminist Play," in the Emerson library conference room to an audience of 15 people.
Singleton said "String of Pearls," written by Michele Lowe, addresses second wave feminism, the changing roles of women and how (feminism) affects their lives and career. Second wave feminism refers to the women's rights movement of the 1960s and '70s that has left lasting changes for the women of today.
Singleton said water was a theme throughout the play, as many of the scenes included references to bodies of water. She said it is no coincidence that water is used heavily as a theme because pearls are created from oysters that live in water.
The scenic designer, junior Alex M. Gaines, who was responsible for the set design, said he tried to focus on two themes when designing the set- water and curves. The curves were representative of the curves of a woman's body.
Gaines said he went for a more "conceptual and abstract"
look, and in designing the set, he focused on themes instead of location.
"Since the show moves through so many times and places, it would be difficult to design sets for each," Gaines said.
Gaines chose a curvy rock formation of various levels for the design of the stage, as well as a suspended oyster shell in the background. The floor of the set is painted in blues to represent the theme of water.