KENNESAW, Ga. | Jan 31, 2023
Intriguing play looks at how to bridge the gap between longing for love and an addictive need for information
ČâČâ´ŤĂ˝ Department of Theatre and Performance Studies will present Caryl Churchillâs âLove and Informationâ Feb. 21-26 in the Onyx Theatre on the ČâČâ´ŤĂ˝ campus. Directed by Emily Kitchens, this fascinating kaleidoscope of 57 short plays examines 100 characters who try to find true human connection and make sense of what they knowâand what they donât know. The actors and designers have leaned into the container of social media. Without compassion or love, Kitchens explains, social media can be a really separating, disconnected experience. âItâs an extension of who we are right now, and while we canât put the toothpaste back into the tube, we can have a mindful awareness of how we are interacting with technology and each other,â she says.
Student Taylor Pasqualetti-Campell, a junior majoring in Theatre and Performance Studies with an Acting concentration, believes that technology is vital to the castsâ interpretation of the show. She recalls being told that the show was going to feel like âTikTok on stage.â She explains that âTechnology plays a part in so many aspects of our everyday lives,â and itâs difficult to find a part of our lives that technology hasnât touched. âWe wanted to keep that authenticity in our showâŚto emphasize the technology age weâre in and how it affects the way we send and receive love and information.â
A mesmerizing and unpredictable play by Churchill, one of the worldâs most groundbreaking playwrights, âLove and Informationâ has invited flexibility into the process. The script invites the audience (and cast) to find their own meaning with the collection of short pieces that sometimes feels like a vignette. Kitchens suggests that itâs like looking at the night sky and finding constellations. âWe will be looking at a lot of stars in the sky, and then the audience will make their own connections through the format of the piece and the openness of the structure.â
Pasqualetti-Campbell appreciates the freedom given to the director and cast by the playwright to âplay and create the world they see fits the best.â With this trust given, the cast spent three days uncovering the varying aspects of the script, and it was transformative. âSuddenly, these empty scenes without characters were vibrant and deep with meaning,â Pasqualetti-Campbell says.
âWe got to decide what we wanted to do. Every word became a clue as to what the scene could mean,â says scenic designer Michelle Lee, a senior majoring in Theatre and Performance Studies with a Design Technology concentration. âFor example, the costume designer interpreted one scene as Victorian ghosts and lost love, and I interpreted [the same scene] as a tragic reunion between two partners where one believes the other is an imposter. The beauty of this show is that neither one of us was right nor wrong,â adds Lee.
âTo be unsolved is a wonderful place to be as an artist,â says Kitchens. After audience members view scene after scene, âthey may ask themselves, âwhat am I left with in all of thisâthis net, this interweaving webâand can we find a little love?âââ She adds, âIs there a glimmer of wanting to touch base with this person, that person, and see how they are doing?â
âLove and Informationâ will be performed Feb. 21-26 at the Onyx Theatre on the ČâČâ´ŤĂ˝ campus. Tickets are available at or by calling 470-578-6650. Learn more about the Department of Theatre and Performance
Studies here.
--Kathie Beckett
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