Six Characters
in Search of
an Author
Blurring the lines
between theatre and reality
Early in December, a cast of Lower Sixth students,
under the guidance of director Paul Harvey, embarked
on the task of staging Six Characters in Search of an
Author by the Italian playwright Luigi Pirandello. between theatre and the world we live in. With
marionettes bringing to life the raw emotion of a broken
family, coupled with a cleverly crafted stage design, the
stage was often granted a near ethereal presence.
The play opens on a cast of egotistical actors as
they commence a rehearsal for their production of
Hamlet. As the rehearsal is about to begin, they are
unexpectedly interrupted by the arrival of six smartly
dressed but slightly odd people. When the director of
the play demands an explanation, the father of this
crew explains that they are unfinished characters in
search of an author to finish their story. Running parallel to this narrative, we watch the cast
of the original show begin to fracture as tensions build.
A final twist completed the blurring of the lines between
‘theatre’ and ‘reality’. All the more impressive was the
fact that the entire play was cast, rehearsed and put on
in a little under two months – a real testament to the
skill and hard work of both the performers, technicians
and teachers who made this such an accomplished and
polished production.
What follows is a tale of a family torn apart by
tragedy and a captivating analysis of the relationship
48
Alex Parton, Lower Sixth
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