Letter to the editor

Published March 10, 2010

In response to the letter last week (March 5, 2010) decrying the UW-River Falls Theatre production of “Our Country’s Good”,” I completely disagree with the negative descriptions of the adult themes.

The story portrayed a brutal harsh reality, based on real events, that people survived in any way they could. The actor’s characterizations were carefully detailed, with exceptional versatility since all of the actors took on at least two roles, creating complexities within relationships of the play within the play.

The stunning accents from cockney to aristocratic English to Irish to Malagasy were spot-on and consistent.

The play was moving, alternatively heartbreaking and hilarious, as well as challenging to our imaginations. I applaud this latest production from the Theater Department.

I am grateful that the department pushes itself to take on adult themes, giving their actors opportunities to do the sophisticated plays they may be called to do in the professional theater, giving us the chance to see how transforming theater can be of our perceptions.

I am especially pleased that the Theater Department trusts its patrons to appreciate an intelligent, imaginative, theatrical experience that allows us to consider the cruelties of reality (in this play that of the earliest Australians) from the safe vantage of the theater.

To last week’s letter writer, if you missed the “Adult theme” note on the program cover, or the ticket ordering form, or the Web site description of the story, perhaps this is a good reminder to not judge a book by its cover or a play by its title. You might want to avoid something like “Romeo and Juliet” (murder, drugs, suicide, oh my… - hey, the title didn’t give me any of that!).

Eileen Korenic
Physics Professor
UWRF