After opening Thursday night, the MU Theatre Department will continue its production of “Proof” by David Auburn from Tuesday to Thursday at the Corner Playhouse.
The show about the intertwining relationships of a recently deceased mathematical genius has proven to be a hit with audiences, and the proof is in the acting.
“We like to say that the show isn’t about math, it’s about chemistry,” freshman actor Robert Glauz said.
Director and graduate student Emily Rollie said she has wanted to direct this play for a while because of the relationships between the characters. In particular, the play displays a close father-daughter relationship.
“I really enjoy working with small casts, because it gives you the opportunity to really focus on their character development,” Rollie said. “There are benefits to working in a larger show, as well, but a smaller show lets you invest in the actors as people and as artists.”
Glauz plays Hal, a graduate student who comes to sort through the notes of Robert, who has recently passed away. Catherine, Robert’s daughter, now has to adjust to the new people in her life — Hal and her adult sister Claire — who now occupy the house that was once only home to her and her father.
“I can see part of my father in the relationship that goes on with Catherine and her father,” Rollie said. “There’s a lot of relationships that not just me but anyone who is working on the show or watching the show can really connect to.”
Senior Kristen Brody plays the part of Catherine in the production.
“I can see where she’s coming from, because I can relate to times where I’ve felt misunderstood or people didn’t believe me and in those moments of the show, I really relate to when there is absolutely no proof but you know in your heart you are right,” Brody said.
The play’s title does not refer simply to a mathematical explanation -– it involves complex relationships among the characters.
“We talk a lot to the cast about how each of the characters is trying to prove something to themselves and to the other characters, and so it’s a matter of trust that goes into that,” Rollie said.
Brody said the four-person cast did not know each other before rehearsals began in February.
“When it’s there, it’s there,” Brody said. “The chemistry was right among all four of us, and we can just talk to each other so easily that it’s made this process incredibly wonderful and just so smooth.”
Rollie said particularly in this show about math, which proves a solitary adventure for Catherine, she hopes the audience takes away the power of being open to human connection and really trusting one another.
“If you like math, I think you’re gonna like it, because you’ll pick up on little things and you’ll understand a lot of little jokes here and there,” Glauz said. “And if you don’t like math, I think you’d still love it, because math is a big part of the show, but it’s not the heart of the show — the heart of the show is a family trying to figure out how to interact with one another in a time of crisis.”
