Rhodes Theatre Guild, a student-run theater club, teamed up with the Weightless Aerial Company to produce a fresh take on Mark Ravenhill’s play pool (no water). Because the original play doesn't feature aerial acrobatics, Weightless Aerial’s Callie Compton and Damian Stuchko co-choreographed and co-directed the performance. Pool (no water) opened on Friday, February 9, with Saturday and Sunday matinee performances as well.
The play centers around a group of adults reminiscing about their past heyday, and grappling with their growing jealousy of a successful friend. When the opportunity arises for the group to capitalize on their friend’s pain, they take that chance—and then suffer the consequences. The cast seemed to be in constant motion, climbing silks and performing acrobatics on swings and hoops to parallel the emotional resonance of every scene.
McCoy Theatre has three more productions scheduled this semester. Violet, a student-directed musical, will premiere on March 16th, with performances that weekend and the next. From Harlem to Hamilton will run for one weekend only, as it showcases students’ research following their class Survey of African American Theatre in the 20th and 21st Centuries. Dr. Noelle Chaddock will direct the performance, as well as teach the class. The futuristic Dr. Voynich and Her Children will run the weekend of April 12th. The student-directed play follows a traveling herbalist and her assistant through America’s heartland, battling poor health care and the lack of reproductive freedoms.
For more information on upcoming performances, visit McCoy Theatre.
By Swaneet Mand '18