Spring Play Opens Tonight

‘Flowers for Algernon’ Aims to Test
Audience’s Empathy, Perceptions

By Olivia Farrow (May 26, 2005)

The Theatre Department’s spring play entitled Flowers for Algernon, opens tonight and  has two more shows this Friday and Saturday at 7:30.

The play, based on the novel by Daniel Keyes and adapted into the movie “Charly,” is about a mentally retarded 32- year-old named Charlie Gordon (played by Dan Burkey) who undergoes an experimental surgery designed to boost his intelligence. Charlie’s operation is considered a success, but Charlie begins to recover memories of when he was handicapped and develops new encounters in modern society with his enhanced capabilities.

Charlie encounters old faces that have become fresh to his opened eyes, such as his forceful mother, played by Jackie Zaccor, and his anxious father, performed by Andrew Parker.  Charlie begins a new relationship with his teacher, played by Lauren Breeden. Charlie’s incredible mental capabilities transform him into a celebrity, and as his IQ begins to surpass the average human’s, Charlie begins to discover that his ability to learn tirelessly will diminish in time.

Pam Ricker, the director of the production, chose this play particularly because “it is an ensemble piece in which each actor is key to creating the overall success of the play.” Ricker has also witnessed a sense of maturity cultivate within the cast. “The actors have grown quite a bit as a result of doing a different kind of theater piece,” observed Ricker. “Initially I thought this would be an easy play to do because it is composed of well-written short dramatic scenes that make their point and are moving to watch. However, we have expanded the play out of its initially simple framework into a multilayered performance art piece, including the inter-cutting of film, photos, animation, and live action.”

The amalgamation of both drama and technology is being employed for the flashbacks and dream sequences for which “the cast of 25 actors are working hard to synchronize their acting in this multimedia concept,” said Ricker. The multimedia display of massive amounts of photos, film, and animation was engineered by stage director John Ballou and his computer students, along with the stage crew.

The director explained, “The focus of the show is on how the brain perceives things, particularly the development of metaphorical images as the mind gets more and more deeply involved into abstract thought.” Ricker also hopes that there is “a development of empathy and compassion that Charlie brings to ‘the intelligent’ of the play who are sorely lacking in concern for others.”