From Thursday, May 10 to Saturday, May 12, Lawrence University will hold its Spring 2018 play entitled “Love and Information.” Directed by Professor of Theatre and Drama and Associate Professor of Theatre Arts Kathy Privatt, the play will be performed at 8 p.m. each night, as well as at 3 p.m. on May 12. The Lawrentian has interviewed one of the actors in this upcoming production: freshman Jesús Maldonado.
How long have you guys been preparing for this play?
JM: Oh, we’ve been preparing since week one, the first Friday of spring term. We had auditions, then we had our first rehearsal on that same Friday.
What part of the play are you looking forward to the most?
JM: I’m looking forward to seeing how the audience receives it. Aside from being excited for my own scenes – I think that everyone is excited for their own scenes – I’m very excited to see how people are going to connect to it, because I have my own way of connecting to it, what about other people’s?
What do you want Lawrence students or the audience to take out of this play?
JM: I think people should take away that we all have things going on in our lives that people aren’t necessarily aware of. There are lots of components within everything, and some stories are common, while others aren’t. You’ll be able to see some of those stories reflected onto the stage, as well as reflections from the stage into life. If there’s any other takeaway, it’s that human life is both beautiful and sad.
What was your favorite part about the production?
JM: I grew so close to so many of the scenes. They’re not all connected, but they all contain important themes. I grew close to these really small moments, and it surprised me because I didn’t know that I could become so close to them, but I did.
What has been the most difficult part about preparing for this play?
JM: The most difficult part has been being really creative. It was very fun, but it was also difficult. We build the contexts for each and every scene – the relationships, the backgrounds and what happens a few moments before and after each scene. We created it as actors with our director and the production team.
What did you do to get into character for the play?
JM: I always try to give myself a moment and put myself in a certain mindset; I physically change the way I hold my body to fit the character and the moment. I have to do that every time, because I never stay in the same character throughout this scene. Well, there’s one moment that is an exception.
Is there any background information you want people to know before seeing the play?
JM: Yes. I think something people need to know is that the play doesn’t encompass a single story. There are literally over fifty scenes that all have their own little storylines and characters. Be ready to expect lots of different stories and lots of different people!
Isobel Abbott-Dethrow
