Spotlight on... Andreana Gustafson '09

Author: Melissa Marshall

A German major with an Italian minor, it is no surprise that Adreana Gustafson '09 decided to put on a play about the power of words. The senior from Fargo, N.D. - whose previous credits include Assistant Director for both "Cabaret" and "Baltimore Waltz" - moves into the director's chair for her production of the 1999 Pulitzer-Prize winning "Wit."

The Middlebury Campus: Why did you decide to put on "Wit" - a screenplay with comparatively expensive rights?

Andreana Gustafson: With every show the rights run about $75. "Wit" was introduced to me by Lizzie Gordon '09 a couple years ago, and I sat down to read it because I was looking for an audition monologue with a very strong female role. I was actually incredibly moved just by reading it, and I usually need a visual to register that sort of emotional impact. It's incredibly interesting the way it combines art and science. People use the term "ivory tower" usually when talking humanities, but it's the same for science. It's very strange to hear what scientists say about the humanities and vice versa. They're both in ivory towers that are just constructed differently.

TC: Was this choice influenced by the increased popularity of playwright Tom Stoppard's more deductive works, or even the recent Middlebury production, "Leap"?

AG: No, not at all. I think this play is very different from Tom Stoppard, and I actually didn't see "Jumpers" when it went up last year. I find it a very singular play. The art and science tension is not even the main theme. The essential theme, I find, is life and death, seen both philosophically and realistically. It deals with some pretty heavy things, but it's also very amusing at times. She has a very dry sense of humor.

TC: Sorry to bring it back to finances, but the economy is a hot topic right now. Are you getting any help from the theatre department or outside sources?

AG: Since it's an independent project, we're funded by The Zoo itself. The theatre department, of course, has been very helpful in lending props. The reason there are no complimentary tickets is because budgets are tightening everywhere; it's not a like or dislike thing.

TC: The play's subject matter is a bit complex - Donne is not the easiest material to swallow, even for English majors. What aspects of the play do you think will resonate with audiences, especially those without a literary background?

AG: I think it will resonate with a lot of people. The protagonist is a professor and she has no qualms about discussing the relevance of 17th century poems and what they mean to our contemporary lives. And he's not the only one quoted - Shakespeare makes appearances cited and not. But speaking of difficulty, "Wit" does not solely make poetic references. There's the scientific terminology that is difficult at first sight for those of a literary tradition. The play is a bit of an ode to words from all disciplines.

TC: So, an "ode to words." Do you have a favorite line from the play, then?

AG: It would be impossible to say. There are many great monologues, especially one where she knew that words would be her life's work. The thing about English is that we can have these scientific words that are heavily Greek and heavily Latin mixed in with these complex poetic words, like "coruscation" (which means a striking display of brilliance). Words have definite power over people in the play.

"Wit" will go up in The Hepburn Zoo on March 6 at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. and March 7 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $3.