Tom Stoppard is famous for the wit and intellectual appeal of his creations. "Arcadia" is considered to be particularly unique. It involves rich emotion that has led many to refer to it as the pinnacle of Stoppard's career. Clark Gascoigne '08 cited "Arcadia's" passionate sentiment as a central motivation for his decision to produce the play as a part of his Independent Study in Directing.
"Tom Stoppard has the ability to beautifully present that which is most simplistic and important in life," he said. "While [the play's] unique structure, complex mathematical theorems, and many historical references reveal myriad themes, in juxtaposing the Classical with the Romantic, the past with the present, and the mathematical with the poetic, Stoppard evokes one of the most basic human truths?that despite all logic, the human being cannot fully live without love."
The mixing of mathematical theorems with love and history may seem at first strange. Stoppard once explained his inspiration for "Arcadia" as the result of reading the mathematical theory novel "Chaos" at the same time as exploring the style, temperament, and art of Romanticism and Classicism?and particularly the differences in these styles.
Gascoigne had to work through a number of complications in order to do justice to the multi-dimensional "Arcadia." The foremost of these complications involved finding an appropriate location to mimic the old, British manor setting of the play.
"I decided early on that I wanted to make this show a real experience for the audience," he said. "Eventually I thought of Cram Alumni Barn, and knew it would be perfect."
Holding the performance outside of the actual theater led to a number of additional challenges. In addition to the absence of dressing rooms, lighting, and sound equipment, the Alumni House is rigid in its layout, allowing only a specific number of entrances and exits. However, he faced these obstacles cheerfully, affirming that in the end they only helped him to be more creative and to grow as a director.
"Arcadia" will mark the second full-length play that Gascoigne has produced at Bowdoin; in the fall of 2006, he directed David Auburn's "Proof." His interest in theater, however, stretches back to his sophomore year, when he took his first directing course.
"My passion for the theater has evolved from a passion for acting into a passion for creating live art," he said.
"Theater has a way of incorporating every medium of art into an experience that any person can relate to," he said. "It utilizes oratory, dance, music, visual art, literature, history, sociology, and?in the case of "Arcadia"?mathematics, to create a holistic experience," he added.
"Arcadia" will be performed Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Cram Alumni House.