By Michelle Hines, University Relations
Joshua Yoder, left, Melanie Matthews, center, and Frank Griffin, right, in "The Taste of Sunrise."
(336) 334-5371
Posted 10-31-07
GREENSBORO, NC-- Director Rachel Briley sums up UNCG Theatre’s latest production, “The Taste of Sunrise,” simply.
“It’s a play about two people who misunderstand what language is,” she says. “Language is supposed to help us share human experience, but instead it drives them apart.”
“Sunrise,” which runs Nov. 10-18 in Taylor Theatre, is a study in deaf culture and the lead character, Tuc, is deaf. Briley, a UNCG theatre professor who is fluent in American Sign Language, says she and her cast are exploring new ways to integrate sign language and spoken word onstage.
“We’re trying to have the signers and the voicers work together almost as one unit to create the characters together. In some cases, one initiates an action that the other completes.”
“Sunrise,” the first part of a trilogy by playwright Susan L. Zeder, tells the story of the relationship between Tuc and his father. Tuc’s mother dies in childbirth, and then, at age 3, he is deafened by scarlet fever. Father and son are bonded tightly together, communicating through what they call “body talk.”
Tuc’s bond with his father is weakened, however, when Tuc is sent to a deaf institute that promises to teach him how to communicate orally. “As is typical of this type of communication, oral communication doesn’t resonate with him,” Briley says. “So he learns sign language in the dorms at night.”
When Tuc returns home, father expects son to speak and son expects father to learn sign language. This impasse leads to a breach in their relationship that Tuc must heal after his father’s death.
The set features multiple levels and a tree that suggests the human hand. The tree represents Tuc’s “sacred space,” Briley says, the boy’s childhood hiding place.
"The play is part memory and part lived,” she says. “It’s an interesting journey in memory. Are we reliving it?”
UNCG alumnus Frank Griffin, who is deaf, plays Tuc. Franny Civitano, a sophomore BFA acting major, began learning ASL for her role as Maizie, the daughter of two deaf parents.
Show dates and times are: 2 p.m., Nov. 10, 11, 17 and 18; 9:30 a.m. and noon, Nov. 13-16; 8 p.m., Nov. 10, 16 and 17. The play is appropriate for grades three and up.
Tickets for evening and weekend performances are $12 for adults; $10 for students, senior citizens, and children; $8 for groups of 10 or more and UNCG Alumni Association members; and $7 for current UNCG Students. Weekday matinee performances are $7 for adults and UNCG students; $6 for children, students and senior citizens; and $5 for groups of 10 or more.
Contact the University Box Office at (336) 334-4849 and at http://boxoffice.uncg.edu for tickets.
UNCG Theatre will also offer several special events on Nov. 16 and 17, when playwright Susan Zeder visits campus. Special events, all free and open to the public, include:
•Staged Reading of “Mother Hicks,” a prequel to “Taste.” Friday, Nov. 16, 4 p.m., Taylor Theatre.
•Ashby Dialogue Post-Show Panel Discussion. Friday, Nov. 16, following the 8 p.m. performance of “Taste,” Taylor Theatre.
•New Script Development Roundtable Discussion on Zeder’s “The Edge of Peace,” the third play in the “Taste” trilogy. Saturday, Nov. 17, 4-6 p.m., UNCG Faculty Center.
