A story about truth, censorship and identity and a small-town high school newspaper manages to address—sometimes obliquely, sometimes directly—issues that divide us today. Despite its abstract title, Eric Gernard’s new play, The Totality of All Things, gets specific about both adult and teen friendships and their relationship to the truth. Enrico Spada directs this dramatic production at Redtwist Theatre.
Totality, set in 2015, centers on Judith Benson (Jacqueline Grandt), a high school journalism teacher and adviser to the student newspaper. As the play opens, she’s giving her opening-day lecture about the quest for truth as a journalist. “The truth can be proved. Confirmed. Then re-confirmed. For those of you counting, that’s triple checked.” And then she invites the class to pledge that they will always search for truth—and they can leave the class if they cannot make that pledge.
The search for truth and how to communicate it is immediately tested. Benson mounts a bulletin board display honoring LGBT History Month and acknowledging the new Obergefell decision by the Supreme Court, legalizing same-sex marriage. Over the weekend, someone paints a black swastika over the display. Matters escalate from there, as Principal Benson (also Judith’s ex-husband, played by Phil Aman) points out that such political displays are not allowed in the school.
The reason for his caution is no doubt that Lewiston, a very small town in Indiana, is predominantly conservative. Judith is known as “the lone-wolf liberal of Indiana,” according to her friend and fellow-teacher Dee Ann (Suzy Krueckeberg), who represents the conservative population. Their friendship bonds fray too as the play progresses. Other teachers involved in the story are Gregg, a math teacher (Philip C. Matthews) and Ms. Carter, the new journalism student teacher (Aundria TraNay).
Micah (Kason Chesky), one of the journalism students, begins to write a story about the event and its aftermath. The crux of the story is how much of the truth his story will tell and who might be harmed in the process. Is Judith always in the right in her demand for complete truth? That’s the question that the play explores. As a former student journalist myself, I was concerned when she calls herself “the faculty editor.” That set off alarm bells for me; none of the many student publications I have been involved with as a student or observer had a faculty member as “editor.” It was always adviser, signifying the faculty member role in oversight and advising, even pushing, the student journalists and student editors to take their roles seriously.
The main storyline is punctuated by football games and other student activities as well as events that result from the bulletin board vandalism. Director Spada’s cast is strong with notable performances by Grandt as Judith, Matthews as Gregg and Chesky as Micah. Chesky, an undergraduate theater major at Northwestern, also played a troubled young man in Gwydion Theatre’s This Is Our Youth. Spada moves the action briskly with minimal set and lighting changes. Scenic design is by Brandii Champagne and lighting by Cat Davis. Madeline Felauer handles costume design. Sound design (including those roaring crowds) is by Nich Svoboda. Taylor Owen is stage manager.
The Totality of All Things is the headline production for Redtwist Theatre’s inaugural Twisted Playfest, running at the storefront theater, 1044 W Bryn Mawr Ave, through December 22. The playfest offers nine other plays with pay-what-you-can tickets. See Twisted Playfest schedule here.
Totality continues at Redtwist Theatre through January 19. Running time is 100 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are $35 with discounts available.
Now through December 31, Third Coast Review is raising money to support the diverse roster of writers you know and appreciate for their thoughtful, insightful arts and culture coverage in Chicago and beyond. Everything raised during this time will go directly to paying these writers a well-deserved year-end stipend; you can make a contribution here. Thank you!