With its upcoming production of Proof, Theatre Wellesley is finishing a journey it started two years ago. The company was in the midst of rehearsing the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by David Auburn when the pandemic hit.
“We have had this thing on hold for two years. So we are all very excited to be back doing theatre and putting this production on for our community. …We’re very happy to be able to perform again,” said Theatre Wellesley member Al Strong.
“This has been a rather elongated process to get to where we are today.”
Directed by David McNorgan, Proof tells the story of Catherine (Beth Lanigan) who has spent years taking care of her father Robert (Al Cook), a brilliant but mentally unstable mathematician. In the wake of her father’s death, a potentially revolutionary mathematical theorem is discovered in one of his old notebooks, and as Catherine attempts to establish its authorship and validity she wrestles with the fear that she may be losing her own grip on reality just as he did.
Haunted by memories of her father’s descent into madness, Catherine navigates through her complicated relationships with one of her father’s former students and her overbearing sister Claire (Jackie Sharkey) on a journey to discover if she inherited her father’s genius, or his madness – or both.
The production also stars Shaun Purves as Hal, a former PhD student of Robert’s.
“We have a very strong cast. It’s a strong production. I’m very excited about what I’ve seen in rehearsals. And I really think this is a production that will speak to many people. …They bring a real depth of experience and skill and connection to the script and the show,” Strong said.
Proof is a nuanced production that deals with many serious topics, Strong explained.
“It deals with it in a very real, very emotional way. It has its lighter moments, but it’s also a very compelling story about trying to figure out ‘who am I? Where am I going? What does life hold for me? And am I going to inherit my father’s brilliance or my father’s madness?’” Strong said.
“[It] works at a variety of levels of family relationships, identity, grappling with one’s self, so to speak,” he said.
There are also many different themes woven into the play.
“I think the one that speaks most to me is a young woman really trying to find herself. Her identity. …She’s also a young woman who is trying to find her place in an academic world that has not been traditionally friendly to women. So there’s a strong sense of this strong, independent, very intelligent, concrete young woman also trying to prove herself not only to herself, but to others within a male dominated academic environment,” Strong added.
“The whole notion of proving oneself and establishing one’s identity are the strong themes.”
The play was an idea choice for their spring production, Strong said.
“Our spring show is done in our rehearsal space, which only has 30 seats, with an intimate setting. This setting lends itself well to this type of play – the way the spaces is set up, the distance between the audience and the actors is about less than two feet. It’s an intimate, compelling setting that lends itself well to the telling of these very rich stories.”
Proof runs from April 22 to May 1 at the Wellesley Public Library. Attendees are asked to wear masks. More information can be found online.
