A Night of Theatre Showcasing Old and New
Recently, Humanities House attended a theatre performance being held on campus. The Connecticut Repertory Theatre presented a full night of theatre on Friday night by pairing the classic play, “Waiting for Lefty” by Clifford Odets with a new play “Severance” written by University of Connecticut alumnae Levi Alpert who was sitting directly behind me for this performance. The director, Michael Bradford, works to give life to both “Waiting for Lefty” and “Severance.” “Waiting for Lefty” takes place in New York City in the year 1935. “Severance” takes place in 2013, but shows different locations. Both the Pantech headquarters and a warehouse in Kent, Michigan are seen in Severance.
“Waiting for Lefty” focuses on a union of taxi drivers in the middle of The Great Depression era. In a series of storylines, the play centers on the backgrounds and the struggles of characters in the union. These storylines connect and share uncertainty of the future the characters will face together as a brotherhood. The stories constructed display the motivations of characters seeking to better themselves in the union. For example, Joe (Michael Bobenhausen) and Edna (Natalia Cuevas) are on the brink of separation argue about the necessity of taxi drivers going on strike to help their family. “Waiting for Lefty” also tells the story of a scientist named Miller (Darren Lee Brown) who would rather dig graves before sacrificing his morality in the creation of weapons for war. “Waiting for Lefty” is often paired with other plays to complete a full night of theatre and give an audience their money’s worth. On this night, the play was accompanied by the first production ever of “Severance” by Levi Alpert.
“Severance” tells the story of a tech company, a CEO, and board of directors at their headquarters. This is mirrored by a group of working class individuals at one of the company’s warehouses. Present in every scene, the board is a disconcerted group looming in the background, staring into smartphones and tablets as the warehouse workers deal with potentially becoming homeless. In the boardroom scenes, their movement and dialogue was synchronized and robotic. Pantech is the stereotypical big business company one might picture, as they lay off thousands of workers and enjoy large bonus checks at the expense of others. The closing of a large portion of Pantech warehouses affected the lives of characters Al (Samuel Kebede), Jackie (Shavana Clarke) and Grover Alexander (Scott Redmond). The warehouse served as the setting for some of the central action of the play.
“Waiting for Lefty” focused on characters facing their fears to get what they want. They want better wages and to do so they must strike. Fatt continuously tries to convince them that an attempt to strike will fail. Failure in these circumstances mean that the men and their families would not be able to survive. The ending shows the characters moving past fear. Fear stops people from moving but the director has them sing about a new dawn, a new day, and a new life as they put their fear behind them. There is also a focus on community as the union members watch scenes play out in other characters lives. They are actively involved in cheering them on and commenting on the happening of the scene. Fear is also evident in “Severance.” The workers laid off as warehouses are closing are afraid of the unknown and what comes next for them. Grover discusses his fear of turning to drugs without working. The warehouse workers contemplate their existence and what they want to be doing with their lives as opposed to the lives they are living. The director emphasizes humanity in the way the warehouse workers communicate with each other and ultimately care for each other beyond being co-workers.
Opposite the board is Shelly Adams (Lily Ling), an idealist that showcases that she is someone with skill that cares about the lives of those in the warehouse. She is a contrast to the board and finds herself on their radar throughout the play. Fear of the job market resonates easily with University do Connecticut students. One of the primary reasons students seek higher education is to increase the chances of employment. The recession is not a distant memory for many people and it greatly affected many Americans. In “Waiting for Lefty”, the cab drivers can go on strike and do something about their problem. They decide to face their fears and go on strike together in order for them all to benefit. In “Severance”, nothing can be done for the warehouse workers who become unemployed. All they can do is look for employment elsewhere. Their employment is in the hands of other people. They have no influence in the decision making process for the business.
In our government, we elect people to act in the best interest of the people. Ideally, this would function similarly to union board in “Waiting for Lefty” where the union works together and listen to each other’s problems. “Severance” is especially relevant when we question whether or not politicians are working in their own best interest. “Severance” focuses on the board not to being held accountable to the mistakes being made by the company. Similar things can be said about the American government as the national debt continues to grow. American politicians should use Hugh Mayes who cares more about taking home a large bonus than his employees and the thoughts of the consumers from “Severance” as the opposite of what to do. Shelly emphasized the importance to understand the consumer. In government, politicians should work to understand the American people. Both “Waiting for Lefty” and “Severance” were enjoyable theatre productions that are relevant to society today.
