Comedy of Suspicion, Private Eyes by Steven Dietz, Opens at UC Davis
05-13-2009
Private Eyes, written by Steven Dietz and directed by UC Davis MFA candidate Candice Andrews, is a contemporary “comedy of suspicion” about deception and broken trust. Multiple layers reveal a romantic triangle where nothing is ever quite what it seems leading the audience to question what love and lustful affairs can do to a marriage. Produced by the UC Davis Department of Theatre & Dance, Private Eyes opens on Thursday, May 28, and continues through Sunday, May 31, at Wyatt Pavilion Theatre.
Private Eyes revolves around five characters. Mathew’s wife, Lisa, is having an affair with Adrian, a British director, or perhaps Mathew has imagined it all to have something to report to Frank, his therapist. And then there is Cory, a mysterious woman who seems to shadow everyone. Is the playwright saying that people, though intimately connected, often lack the courage to look deeply and honestly into each other’s eyes? Instead, do we fill in the gaps of what we do not know with what we believe it to have been? The audience is left to sort out the cold hard facts from fantasy as the plot unwinds.
Director Candice Andrews was drawn to Private Eyes by the psychological puzzle provided in the text. “I have always been interested in exploring the human psyche. Private Eyes grabbed my attention back in 1999. As I couldn't wrap my head around it, I continued to explore it.”
Last fall Andrews audited a Psychology of Emotion class as research for her direction of the play. “I learned that the way the two lovers, Mathew and Lisa, lie to each other, is sadly common in many marriages today. The characters are left with this sense of low-level panic; alone, looking into each other’s eyes, with nowhere left to run. The play’s comic relief is rooted in the ugliness of reality.”
Stage Manager Julie Friedrichsen (Dramatic Art, UC Davis ’08) says Andrews has made Private Eyes a very smooth production to manage. “We are actually one week ahead of schedule. I think this is because of the director’s genuine openness to all the creative artists on the team. She has made this an extremely collaborative process.”
Scenic Designer and fourth-year Dramatic Art major Chris Jee agrees, “Candice has fostered a sense of trust and creativity between the design team and herself permitting me to engage on this production at a higher level than ever before.” Jee’s greatest scenic challenge was working within the space of Wyatt Pavilion’s 200 seat thrust-stage theatre. “The play's technical flow between scenes and locations is very convoluted. My goal was to present it on stage in a way that was clear to the audience, with minimal movement of set pieces while preserving momentum to give the story twists the weight and surprise they need.”
Costume Designer Sarah Kendrick, a first-year MFA student, has also focused on protecting the element of surprise. “My design challenges have been creating characters through my costumes without giving away the story’s mystery and making the contemporary clothing interesting.”
Rounding out the creative artist team are Projections Designer James Marchbanks and Lighting Designer Jake Nelson, both MFA candidates, and Properties Designer Jason Masino who is an undergraduate majoring in Dramatic Art. The five person cast includes three first-year MFA Acting candidates: Actors’ Equity actress Amy Louise Cole, Brett Duggan, and Anne Reeder. It includes two undergraduate students: Tommy Anker, a Genetics major, and Yonatan Morag who is studying Physics.
Private Eyes will have viewers laughing while playing detective. As described on the Dramatists Play Service script, “Only a comedy can make us realize the truths we are not fond of.”
Candice Andrews Bio
A first-year MFA candidate in Directing, Andrews comes to UC Davis after working as a traveling drama director and speech and drama teacher in Colorado for four years. She holds a double BA degree in Theatre and Speech Communication from Colorado State University. In 2003 Andrews received a grant to teach in thirteen countries. These included the poorest neighborhoods in India, Cuba and Africa, as well as futuristic institutes and theatres in Japan and Hong Kong. Andrews introduced drama curriculum into many schools while touring and researching the infrastructure of theatres that had moved from rags to riches.
Andrews has directed at the Rialto Theater for C.A.S.T. (Creative Arts for Students of Theatre) and the Roberta Price Civic Auditorium in Loveland, Colorado. She has worked at Colorado State University’s Summer Theatre, Lincoln Center, and Open Stage Theatre Company in Fort Collins, Colorado. Andrews hopes to continue her travels and research as a professional director and professor in speech and drama. Candice permanently resides in Colorado with her fiancé and two dogs that are the love of her life.
Last fall and winter Andrews interned at Sacramento Theatre Company where she taught in the Young Professionals children's theatre program, co-directed the after school program Kids Write Plays, directed the 2008 winter dance production, Home for the Holidays, and assistant directed La Pastorela. Andrews was recently featured in Artist Spotlight for Inside the City-Sacramento, November 2008.
Private Eyes is produced by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc.
This production contains mature adult content, partial nudity, and sudden loud noises.
What: Private Eyes by Steven Dietz, Directed by MFA Candidate Candice Andrews
Where: Wyatt Pavilion Theatre, UC Davis
When: Thu 5/28 ~ Sat 5/30, 8pm
Sun 5/31, 2pm
Tickets: $14/16 General; $10/12 Student & Child
Purchase tickets: (530) 754-2787, or toll-free (866) 754-2787 or www.mondaviarts.org
More information: http://theatredance.ucdavis.edu
Photos: http://theatredance.ucdavis.edu/season/archives_detail.aspx?a=Private+Eyes
|