Arts & Culture
Innovative play “40 Days” floats to stage this weekend
The Pointer
jmath438@uwsp.edu
The first fully-staged production of Laura Eason’s “40 Days” will debut at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point in the Noel Fine Arts Center’s Studio Theater on Friday, Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Tyler Marchant, an assistant professor in the UW-SP theater department, is directing the play. He worked with Eason while he was still living in New York and read the play before coming to Stevens Point to teach.
“It’s a really new play,” Marchant said. “I loved it. I met the writer and we talked about the play… I just felt like I connected with the story.”
The story takes place in a small, unnamed Midwestern river town. When the river unexpectedly floods, the people of the town are left with their own devices to cope. Only seven speaking characters are present during the performance.
The characters are relatable to the audience, as they are Midwestern and, according to Marchant, give the viewer a sense of everyman.
“Our audience is going to recognize these people,” Marchant said. “They’re going to see them as if you’re walking in downtown Stevens Point; these are people that you know.”
Above all, the story is driven by the universality and fundamental humanity of the characters.
“This is dealing with the personal stories of those people and their personal relationships,” Marchant said.
In addition to the main cast, a chorus is also on stage to help guide the audience through the story.
“The chorus serve as helpers to tell the story,” Marchant said. “The play is thick with metaphor. The chorus helps with that level of theatricality.”
Eason’s work also calls for the audience to use their imagination in order to fill in the gaps not specifically called for on stage.
“Some audience members will really get into that and have fun with that. Other audience members with have to rise to the challenge,” Marchant said.
As this is the first fully-staged production of the play, Marchant and the cast met some unique challenges when developing the on-stage action.
“The only thing that’s on stage is a bathtub. It’s the only piece of scenery,” Marchant said. “That bathtub represents the town and the flooding and everything.”
Laura Eason will also be in attendance on Sunday, Feb. 8.
“In my conversations with her, I felt like when we talked about the play, we talked about the play the same way,” Marchant said. “I think she’ll be pleased. I hope she’ll be pleased.”
“40 Days” will be showing on Feb. 6-9 and 12-15.
