The Program Note

The following is the official dramaturg's note from the program.

As Desire Under the Elms begins, “Eben Cabot enters, […] puts his hands on his hips and stares up at the sky. He sighs with a puzzled awe and blurts out with halting appreciation. ‘God! Purty!’” Eben enters the play bearing the troubles of the world on his back. He is haunted by the loss of his mother, torn between two cultures, and facing insurmountable economic hardship. And yet, his burdens momentarily drop away in the face of such a breathtaking landscape. This is the devastating world that Eugene O’Neill paints for us. In this production, we have moved the setting to 1928 in the Ozark Mountains. Director Randy Reinholz hails from this area and sees a connection between the Missouri he knows and O’Neill’s portrayal of a community affected by poverty. In this town, we find that from extreme poverty comes extreme cruelty. Eben demonstrates and defines the constant conflict between life’s harshness and its beauty, what is hard and what is soft. As you watch, you will see the cycles of abuse, greed, and poverty as people try to hold on to their culture. If it is not possible to find a balance between tradition and a more just world, then we are fated to repeat our mistakes. The characters in our play walk that fine line.

Scenic Designer Featured in School Newletter

SPOTLIGHT ON STUDENT SUCCESS

College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts

School of Theatre, Television, and Film

Andrew Hull

The work of Andrew Hull was prominently displayed during The Greg Mortenson lecture on “Three Cups of Tea” for SDSU Family Weekend. Andrew, a second year MFA set design student, created and designed the approximately 10’ x 30’ mural that hung as a backdrop for the lecture.

Andrew began his design work in spring 2008 and created the piece over the course of the summer. Andrew’s work is not new to SDSU. He designed sets for the 2007 production of Hamlet, Blood on the Brain and this year’s, Desire Under the Elms.

Desire Under The Elms is Much More Than Just Desirable at SDSU

By Robert Hitchcox

Eugene O'Neill gave birth to Desire Under the Elms in 1924, placing it in rural New England. The 1958 film version starred Sophia Loren, Anthony Perkins, and Burl Ives. Under director Randy Reinholz, the San Diego State University version, currently in the Experimental Theatre, moves the action to rural Ozark Mountains. This logically allowed for some excellent story-telling guitar music.

The playwright brings the themes of classic Greek tragedy (revenge, lust, love, hate, greed, trust, murder, and the tragic consequences that ensue) to the American scene. The plot pits the three brothers (Simeon, Peter, and Eben) against their father (Ephraim), forming a formidable broth. Stir in the juices of brother against brother as Simon and Peter (from wife one) vie against Eben (from wife two). For spice, stir in a very young wife three, Abbie, who beds Eben, becomes pregnant by him and claims it is husband Ephraim's. Throw in the field crops of the family farm's inheritor(s) and one gets a fatal soup.

I expect the very best out of the theatre departments of SDSU and UCSD and I have yet to be disappointed. Andrew Hull's set has a dirt-poor raggedy feel. This is further enhanced by Sarah Leahy's drab gray-on-gray costumes. Even in a dance scene, there is very little color in the women's wear and none in the men's. Ashley Johnstone provided us with a subdued lighting plot, while Michelle Caron's sound design further enhanced the mood.

Justin Hobson's Eben is near-perfect. His stature is such that the two older brothers, Simeon and Peter (Bobby Schiefer and Phil Kruse) physically intimidate Eben. One hopes he wore some padding. Unlike his farmhand brothers, he takes care of the house chores (cooking, cleaning, laundry, et al). He is wilier and much smarter, soon ridding the farm of his brothers to become the sole heir.

His logic is shattered when his abusive father, Ephraim (Tony Quezada), returns home with a new bride and heir. Quezada is a perfect contrast to Hobson; Ephraim must have a PhD in bullying making him a perfect villain. This is not the man you want to meet on a moonless night. Quezada proves, under Choreographer Krysten Hafso's, that he can dance a jig with the best of them.
The fly in this over-seasoned soup is third wife Abbie Putnam (Pamela Sevilla).

The original acrimony between Abbie and Eben is almost violent. Soon, though, an unbridled passion develops. In many ways, this is Abbie's story as much as that of the three sons and their father. Sevilla's very presence on the stage commands it. Even as wild dancing progresses behind her, her sullen quiet rules. Her character is tragic, her portrayal is perfection.

This is an excellent production throughout. The move from 1928 rural New England to 1928 rural Ozark Mountains works well. O'Neill at his best, SDSU Theatre at their best . . . a great combination. It's a short run, I hope you have a chance to see this production.

Desire Under the Elms plays Tuesday thru Sunday, closing October 5, 2008. For information and tickets dial 619 594-6884 and go on line to www.theatre.sdsu.edu.

Cast: Justin Hobson, Bobby Schiefer, Phil Kruse, Tony Quezada, Pamela Sevilla, Carolyn Henderson, Jim Capela, Haley Bishop, Julia Jacobo, Christopher Wollman

Technical Staff: Scenic Design Andrew Hull, Lighting Design Ashley Johnstone, Sound Design Michelle Caron, Costume Design Sarah Leahy, SM Chandra McColgan, Dramaturge Joan Marie Hurwit, Vocal Coach/Choreographer Krysten Hafso

Critic: Robert Hitchcox
Dates: Tuesday thru Sunday, to October 5, 2008

Robert Hitchcox is a playwright, critic and fiction author.

Comment on this story, by email comment@newsblaze.com

I finally got my hands on several production photos!

Here are several of the production photos from Desire! These pictures only begin to show the gorgeous aesthetic of the overall design.

The set lent itself to so many different locations, was an amazing and creative space for the actors and fellow designers to work in, and was, literally, a piece of art. The light design, particularly featured here, was so innovative: conscious of space and time, reflective of mood, a character unto itself... and again, art. These designers worked seamlessly together, balanced each other, and truly enhanced this production beyond conceivable thought. Without them, such poverty and catastrophe could have never also achieved such beauty.

Set: Andrew Hull
Lights: Ashley Johnstone

My Dramaturgical Lecture in a TFM Class

Over the summer, Professor Mark Freeman asked me if I would be interested in presenting a lecture in his TFM 150 Screenwriting class. He was hoping I could shed light on our adaptation of Desire. He was specifically interested in the context of Desire in O'Neill's life, the process of a stage adaptation, and the relevance of our adaptation in the world today. I created a PowerPoint for the students and we discussed the plot, relationships, how to translate O'Neill's specific stage directions to the screen, and I graphed for them a chart of everyone's desires in Part 1, Scene 4. I learned so much and I hope they did too.

Here's the text from one of the slides that discussed working rehearsal themes, Randy's focus for the play, and relevant issues in the play that relate to current events.

Working rehearsal ideas:

–From extreme poverty comes extreme cruelty; great poverty unchecked can cause catastrophic events

•Is O’Neill’s play still relevant?

• –Do we still struggle with abuse, violence, and poverty?
• –Does the majority of America still turn a blind eye to poverty? Or do we pretend it’s not there because we see such wealth?
• –Is our culture fated to continue the cycle of greed?
• –Is it possible to find a balance between tradition and new age or will there always be a constant battle?
• –If we cannot recognize the signs are we fated to repeat our mistakes?

From the Costume Designer...

The costume research for this show is largely based on real people in the 1930’s South. Many shows rely on costume technicians to custom build costumes from the ground up, however ours is purchased and pulled from storage. These "dirty and simple" costumes are juxtaposed against a beautiful Missouri backdrop. Our designer is working to emphasize the bleakness of our setting and the community's poverty through a process of distressing and aging the costumes. She particularly focused on raw images from the Depression and influential movies like Reds and The Great Debaters. To browse a photo library she used, check out this link and click on the FSA/OWI Photos link: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml/fsainfo.html.

I have scanned some pages out of the costume design book. You will see images from fashion magazines, costume books, (even sample swatches!), and actual old pictures that she heavily relied on to convey the mood and era of each design. Following, are her renderings (still in progress) for each of the costumes in the show.

Eugene O'Neill, the man

As I've been preparing the Dramaturg's note for the program, I decided to go back and take a closer look at our Nobel and Pulitzer prize winning author. At a glimpse, Eugene O'Neill had a tough life: he abandoned his first wife, his second wife was addicted to potassium bromine, he disowned his daughter, one of his sons was an alcoholic, the other was a heroine addict, and both sons committed suicide... in the words of our stage manager, Chandra McColgan, "no wonder he's killing babies."

For more information on this literary master, check out www.eoneill.com.
Here, you can check out their study companion - particularly, the commentary is very interesting. If you've taken D.J. Hopkin's 460A class, it is definitely worth taking a few moments to read.

From the Sound Designer: DESIRE and the Blues

While the Ozarks in 1926 weren't a core location for the development of the blues, this musical style encompasses many of the strongest elements of the play: violence, despair, passion, sex, longing, and the knowledge that, no matter how fast you run, the devil will catch up with you. Masters such as Son House, Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, and Lightnin' Hopkins poured their lives and hearts into their music, and the countless covers of their songs are a tribute to how the central themes of their work resonate today.

The sound design for Desire takes certain liberties in its choices; the timeline of artists spans the 1920's-1950's. In addition, blues musicians from different locations are featured; Delta, Texas, and South Chicago blues are all influences. However, all the pieces are acoustic, solo slide guitar and have been chosen for their sound and emotional drive. In addition, live blues will also be performed in the show; mood in the small theatre shifts dramatically with a musician on stage.

Included are videos of some blues masters who have been an
inspiration to the research. Though certain covers of their songs
by more current artists will be used in the production (for
improved sound quality), much of the spirit of Desire Under
the Elms can be felt in these driving rhythms, lyrics and chords.

--Michelle Caron

Son House - Death Letter

R.L. Burnside - Just Like A Woman


Lightnin Hopkins - Baby Please Don't Go

From the Scenic Designer...

Here is a goldmine of research from our scenic designer, Andrew Hull. Most of the photographs are actual pictures from the FSA during the depression, around the Midwest. Also included are some more paintings from Thomas Hart Benton.

But, first, is a picture of the model of our gorgeous set...

Blues Dancin'

"It's not a museum piece, we want people to get caught up in watching it."
- Randy Reinholz

As we brought up the issue of period dancing, Randy and Bernie spoke a lot about mood. Though it's not drastically important that we master blues dancing in the party scene, I've found some videos that might help ease that transition.

Treat this first video as a breif tutorial in blues dancing. You'll find the most helpful moves, to comply with the sexiness of the scene in the play, are the fish tales and after.

Blues Dancing 101


and about a minute and a half into this next one, they start to dance... a great example of just feeling the music...
Bukka White