Fall play mixes time periods

Taking place in two very different time periods, this year’s fall production “Arcadia”  challenges the ideas between order and disorder, certainty and knowledge.

The play is being showcased Oct. 9-13 at the University of South Dakota, including a matinee Sunday.

Directed by junior graduate student Callie Hisek, “Arcadia” revolves around two sets of characters in different time periods: one set in 1993 and the other exists in the early 1800s during the Regency period. They simultaneously exist on stage in the same room of an old house.

“I read this one and I really fell in love with the script. I had other good ones, too, but I was real happy that we’re doing ‘Arcadia,’ ” Hisek said.

The production’s student director pitched “Arcadia” in January, and had it approved by first-year theater department chair Tom Woldt. He said what stood out to him about the play was that several questions of ranging concepts are introduced, but never answered. Literature and poetry, math and physics are mixed together into what he describes as a very interesting and compelling story.

Written by Tom Stoppard, who wrote the screenplay of the award winning “Shakespeare in Love,” “Aracadia” showcases Stoppard’s ability to write plays that cause people to think about how things work in the world, Woldt said.

“He’s also a brilliant user of language; he does that in a way the average person can understand, and he has a great sense of humor in his writing,” Woldt said.

Hisek said the cast has been rehearsing 18 hours a week since Aug. 27, the day after classes started, but the play has been on her mind for more than half a year.

“It’s been a part of me for about seven months. It’s hard for me to describe. ‘Arcadia’ is smart, it’s funny, the characters are fascinating — they’re all very passionate about something, but I think it can be appealing to anybody,” Hisek said.

Seniors Brian Muldoon and Emily Dorsett, actors in the production, said they agree trying to tell the story of “Arcadia” without losing any of the diction has been one of their goals. Both Muldoon and Dorsett took a semester long dialect class to prepare for shows like this.

“Literary people say it’s one of the best plays of the 20th century, so that’s been a bit of pressure, but we have a lot of really talented people working on it who really help tell the story,” Muldoon said.

Muldoon is excited to share the story he said is one of his favorites in a place where Stoppard plays are not normally done.

Dorsett said everyone on the cast has their heart into the play as they work to understand every word they are saying and the character they are portraying to bring the story to life.

“We’re in the Regency period, so it’s been a challenge to connect with the ideals of that time; how people interacted with each other was a lot different than how it is today,” Dorsett said.

Hisek said anybody who has a major and is passionate about it should come see the production because their disciplinary will likely be discussed in some way, shape or form.

“When they see “Arcadia,” they should see a beautiful show. They should laugh, they should experience concepts, ideas they might not have thought of before,” Hisek said.

Tickets for the show can be purchased online, over the phone or at the box office located in the Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts.