Featured
Navigating new realities: 'THE CHILDREN' questions what defines us as humans
Published
Modified
Why are we as humans here? When disaster hits, who are we?
Playwright Lucy Kirkwood puts those questions in audiences鈥� minds during the production of 鈥淭HE CHILDREN,鈥� a play set in a world filled with disaster and chaos. The play will run at FUSION at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, and Friday, Nov. 15; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16; 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17; with repeats through Nov. 24.
Navigating new realities: 'THE CHILDREN' questions what defines us as humans
After a disaster strikes at a local power station, three nuclear scientists 鈥� Rose, Hazel and Robin 鈥� live together in a small cottage far from the world filled with radiation. Though society is dealing with the effects, there are still several hard choices to make about the fate of the world and the fate of the individual. During the trio鈥檚 time together, they explore the new realities they face and how those truths change them as people.
The show, which was originally set to debut in the spring, was moved to the fall to accent situations that might make audiences feel similarly.
鈥淚 moved it forward just for this reason of how relevant the questions are at this time in our history with voting and everything that鈥檚 coming up, so it provides a forum to kind of process all that,鈥� said Jacqueline Reid, director of 鈥淭HE CHILDREN.鈥�
鈥淭he show is a tour de force on societal levels, as well as basic entertainment levels,鈥� said Reid. 鈥淚t presents many complex and nuanced questions that are important for every human being to answer, and the kinds of questions that it brings are what I call 鈥榯he requirement of the soul.鈥欌��
Reid said the show was written for a particular age group to portray, that adds to the theme of the play.
鈥淭here are very few shows written for actors in this age demographic,鈥� she said.
After stripping away some of the moments that define us as humans, what are we left with? 鈥淭HE CHILDREN,鈥� while named for a younger audience, is meant to help young adults and older adults come to question the big moments of their lives and makes the audience wonder who they are on a deeper level.
鈥淚 would say middle school, upper middle school, all the way through, are going to find something relevant in this, and they鈥檒l also be surprised at how these three individuals deal with the scenarios at hand. It is quite vibrant and surprising,鈥� Reid said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e a child, you have children, you have to face the only thing we can depend on in life, which is our own death. At some point, we鈥檙e all either the child ourselves or the child within.鈥�
Though the show is filled with melancholic moments that may have the audience walk away pondering their lives, the show isn鈥檛 filled with deep-thinking moments.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of humor, music, there鈥檚 even dancing that happens,鈥� Reid said. 鈥淚 mean, there鈥檚 a little bit of everything. And I鈥檇 say it鈥檚 kind of joyous when you watch the people that have the ability to make decisions based on experience and lift the audience up.鈥�
