By Abigail Lentini, Contributing Writer
Susquehanna’s theater department performed “Escaped Alone” and “Far Away” by Caryl Churchill Oct. 22-24. Each of the plays brings a unique take on current politics and climate issues.
“Escaped Alone” stars Morgan Magdalinski as Mrs. J, Meredith Felix as Sally, Brianna Tapia as Lena, and Adriana Quinones as Vi. These characters are a group of older English women having afternoon tea. Throughout the play, minor discussions happen among the group, then each woman has their own monologue. Mrs. J talks about apocalypses in the past tense, while the others have small monologues where they speak about their anxieties. Mrs. J’s eerily detailed apocalyptic monologues lead you to wonder if she actually experienced those things. Each actor performed their characters with skill and emotional depth. Overall, this production was wonderful.
“Far Away,” the second play performed, is about a family of milliners who live in a world where war constantly consumes the people. “Far Away” starred Katrena Wagner as Joan, Sage Bush as Harper, Joseph Peachey as Todd, and multiple participants who worked backstage and behind the scenes, as the parade.
The play begins in Harper’s home when Joan is young, then cuts to when Joan has grown up and is working in a hat factory. The bulk of the storyline follows Joan and Todd, whom she meets in the factory, making hats for an unnamed oppressive organization that houses prisoners. The prisoners will then wear these hats in a parade to their deaths. Throughout this portion of the play, the audience also witnesses Joan and Todd fall in love. Time passes, and Joan and Todd are married, back in Harper’s home where they are living in fear under the dystopia. The play heavily resembles modern world brutality. It also touches on environmental issues and humanity’s disregard for others. Like the first play, the actors did an amazing job, and captured what it could be like to live in a world like that.
