 Jackson, Tenn. -
Two Fathoms Deep, a local theater group, in conjunction with the 51社区 Players,
will present van Italli's "The Serpent," August 26-28 and September 2-4 in the
W.D. Powell Theatre of the Penick Academic Complex.Directing the first production of
the 1999-2000 theater season is Union alumnus Mac Lower. "The Serpent" deals
with man's search for purpose and meaning in life, pulling from the biblical stories of
Adam, Eve and the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel, and more modern events
such as the 1960s assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy.
The production will be based on the methods and techniques used by Jerry Grotowski, the
Polish director and theoretician. Grotowski was an advocate of audience involvement and
theorized that theater's purpose was to satisfy more than man's cultural needs. Through
confrontation with the performance, Grotowski believed the spectator could analyze
himself.
Emphasizing the actor-audience relationship, actors themselves will be used for set
pieces, such as tables and chairs. Multi-level platforms will serve as the stage, where
audience members and actors share the same spaces. The only other theaters in the United
States to continually practice Grotowski's methods are New York's Living Theatre, Open
Theatre and the Performance Group. Union's production provides a unique and rare
opportunity for residents of Jackson and the surrounding areas.
Using a mixed cast of alumni and current students, Lower expects audiences to come with
various emotional defenses but hopes that they will walk away with the knowledge
"that God is the only answer." In this play, Lower says, "Words are not the
most important thing, but rather the actions, the physical movements of the characters and
the sounds. There won't be any props, special lighting or sound effects; it's just the
acting. So the performance will be a little different than what you would normally expect
to see in a traditional show."
Performances begin at 8 p.m. nightly. A discussion with the audience and led by Lower
will follow the first two performances. Admission is $7 general, $3 students, and tickets
may be reserved and purchased by calling (901) 661-5105. For more information regarding
the show, please contact Mac Lower at (901) 772-8138.
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