2008 Woodie Awards
Everybody loves a little drama
Theater ISU presents Oleanna
Dilan Brown
Issue date: 3/8/06 Section: Life
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The play is being performed in the Rogers Black Box Theatre. For this production, Theatre ISU has constructed an intimate set over which the spell-bound audience seems to hover, almost to take part. The department's deft manipulation of the venue accentuates the play greatly, and the small cast (Case and Robison alone) helps to make Oleanna all the more personal. The play flexes great witticism throughout, and a notably intelligent piece is made even stronger through stellar execution by Case and Robison. At times the interaction meanders so greatly, and the verbose John's articulation so lively, that one such theatrically-green journalist could only sit back and marvel at the collective quality. Robison's talents were especially demonstrated in numerous frantic phone calls with his pressing wife. Stammering into the phone, being cut-short at every sentence, these quasi-conversations roused the greatest laughter from the sold-out audience. And then just as quickly there were crowd-consuming queasy waves when John first starts to dig himself a hole with the bursting, colorfully clad Carol.
The story is a stern anatomy and evolution of when things go horribly wrong between a college professor and a student, a worst-case-scenario from beginning to end.
In the first scene the humorous, charming, and Mr. Rogers-like dressed John attempts to convince Carol of her ability to handle the work load for his course, which Carol to this point has had great difficulty absorbing. Starting with benign, vaguely supportive statements about Carol's aptitude, the story takes an uncomfortable turn when the discussion becomes personal, and John shares with Carol his own daunting fears and barriers he's dealt with in his career. At this point, John becomes a little too personable and sort of runs off at the mouth and comes across as arrogant and macho. This opening scene concludes with the two coming to a secret agreement that Carol would be able to start the course over, even though the semester is already half-way through. At first hesitant, Carol ultimately goes along with it and the scene dims to the audience beginning to shift uneasily in their comfy chairs.
The second scene presents what seem like two totally different characters. Carol is now greatly on the offensive. Obviously having realized the wrong committed by John, she's now exploited his questionable conduct from the first meeting into a slow-brewing legal conflict; and with John's tenure, family, and home teetering in the mix, his demeanor changes to a vulnerable, human frailty. Carol unleashes an onslaught that seems to be a complete one-eighty from her jittering uncertainty in the first meeting. She batters John at length, exposing his faults and questionable moral and ethical conduct. This is when the politics take front and center in the work. The play comments on several social dynamics of modern times: sexism, gender issues, abuses of power, professional boundaries, ethical rightness, etc. And in presenting such a strong case against John, the audience begins to see his faults, and the question of who's right and wrong becomes a very difficult one to solidify. Ultimately though, the second scene was the most memorable for the closing seconds. Attempting to stop Carol from leaving his office, a desperate John braces her against the door, hushing her as he physically pins her. She begins screaming, calling for help loudly, and the impact of the scene is achieved at a great magnitude. The lights again dim and the audience is once again left murmuring and shifting and absolutely stirred in one way or another.
The third scene finds John at the end of his rope. He's abandoned his college-garb and now paces around wildly with untidy hair and frantic, desperate eyes. Carol is completely collected, wearing a business suit, with all of her legal bases covered. In the time between the second and third scene, the tenure committee has been contacted about the complaint, John becomes at risk of losing his home, and the physical close to the second scene has been interpreted by Carol and the law with attempted rape. And thus we see just how slippery John's slope is. He is further exposed by Carol, battered on the phone by his wife and realtor, and he hasn't been home in two days to boot. Carol throws him a curve ball and raises the possibility of her complaint being withdrawn- if only John will consent to a few things in exchange. When perusing the list of requests, John sees that Carol wishes to ban his book from the curriculum.
His professionalism questioned, his entire being attacked, John revolts and quickly turns the table on Carol; he states that he owes it to himself, his son, and to his profession to refuse the banning of his book. In this he becomes enraged and attacks Carol. He curses, he kicks, he pulls hair and shoves her down. About the time he's about to WWF a chair over the cowering student he stops his attack, dumb-struck. He puts the chair down and staggers to his desk in brutal self-realization. Carol rises slowly from the floor weeping, beaten, and the audience can only wonder how it could possibly get worse. And the lights dim on Oleanna.
Oleanna concludes this weekend with three final performances. The 9th, 10th, and 11th. All performances are at 7:30 PM at the Rogers Black Box Theatre. For info call the box-office at 282-3595.
Dilan Brown is a sophomore at ISU. He can be reached at bglife@isu.edu.