"It was always possible to think whatever your personal problem, there's always nature. Spring will return even if it's without me. Nobody loves me but at least it's a sunny day. This has been a comfort to people as long as they've existed. But it's not available any more. Sorry. Nobody loves me and the sun's going to kill me. Spring will return and nothing will grow," said the Skriker.
Through ideas such as this, The Miami University department of theater's production of The Skriker pulls its audience into a land of nightmarish reality and never lets go.
Set in London, the Skriker is a ruined fairy that haunts two friends, Josie and Lily. Josie has just recently murdered her newborn child and Lily has a daughter on the way. The Skriker is jealous of their fertility and aims to steal their babies.
The play, which has been described by New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley as a darker take on A Midsummer Night's Dream, comments on the damaged state of the modern world.
The Skriker will open at the Center for the Performing Arts' Gates-Abegglen Theatre, running from Nov. 15-17, 29-30, as well as Dec. 1-2. Tickets are $6 for students and $9 for the general public.
"I believe the central idea in The Skriker is that we inhabit a world that is, quite literally, mad," Roger Bechtel, director and associate professor of theater, said. "Serial killers, global warming, religious and civil wars … have created an environment that is extremely difficult to deal with both physically and, especially, psychologically. But we are so (used) to this madness that we don't really see it-it's just images on the TV or computer screen."
The Skriker, played by first-year Caroline David, junior Emily Giant, and senior Courtney Maistros, shifts shapes in an effort to trick its prey. The play's author, Caryl Churchill, who has written more than 20 plays and is a three-time Obie Award winner, uses other villainous characters from British folklore (ala the Brothers Grimm) to add to the play's fantastical feel. Rawheadandbloodybones and Kelpie, played by juniors Alex Homer and Jason Howard respectively, are just a few.
According to Bechtel, these freakish creatures are used to symbolize the madness of the modern world. Also represented in The Skriker are modern day bogeymen, such as Adolf Hitler, portrayed by junior Jake Carr. Senior Bobby Voss plays Robespierre, who historians blame for the mass murders of innocent men and women during the French Revolution. According the Brantley, this implies that new monsters are being created, even now.
Although the audience may leave wishing they still owned a nightlight, Bechtel seems confident that The Skriker will be a hit.
"(It's) thought-provoking definitely, funny in an ironic sort of way," Bechtel said. "Scary-yes. But most of all, people should attend because you'll have an experience unlike any you've ever had in the theater or cinema before."
Overall, the cast of The Skriker includes more than 30 Miami students. Sophomore Wendy Jobes, who plays the part of Spriggan, said that she and her fellow actors have put in long hours preparing for opening night, sometimes rehearsing from 7-11 p.m. In her opinion though, it's all worth it.
"Because this play is so unique and challenging, it was a great deal more fun and rewarding to be a part of," Jobes said.
Bechtel explains that he decided to perform The Skriker for several reasons.
"It tells a fascinating and moving story with a real point," Bechtel said. "And it's also enormously entertaining-it's visually spectacular and incorporates very magical stage effects."
The Skriker was first performed in 1994 at the Royal National Theatre in London.
Jeanne Harmeyer, Miami's marketing manager for music and theater, expects that The Skriker will be a popular show.
"The curiosity factor is very high because of the never before seen special effects," Harmeyer said.
