Theater Preview – “The Diviners”
“The Diviners” plays this weekend and next in Redondo Beach
by Kathryn Cross
Within the next few weeks, Redondo Union High School’s theater program will perform “The Diviners,” the award-winning story of friendship between a religiously lost priest and a disabled, yet delightful boy during the Great Depression in Indiana. As each character takes a slice of life and finds himself or herself, Redondo Union High School’s drama department will show what their 180 hours of dedication, characterization, and collaboration can do.
“The Diviners,” written by Jim Leonard, Jr. begins with a stranger named C.C. Showers who passes through Zion, Indiana whilst looking for a job and food. He soon meets a mentally disabled boy named Buddy. Buddy is emotionally scarred from the loss of his mother and a near-drowning experience. Nevertheless, he brings joy to everyone he meets and befriends C.C., who is a retired priest. They soon become very close friends and C.C. becomes Buddy’s life pedagogue. Zion’s people also depend on C.C. for help because their town church burned down. However, life slaps all of the characters in the face and they all encounter the Great Depression, religion, and love in all of its conflicts. The play takes its most tremendous turn when C.C. and Buddy must confront their fate and the story becomes a tragic mess.
Many of the hours put into creating this storyline included making the play identifiable to a modern audience. “Characterization was a struggle,” said Alexis Lapp, playing Jennie Mae, Buddy’s sister and C.C.’s admirer. “We went so deep into each of the characters in the play and why they are there.”
“The cast and crew have been working tirelessly to not only put on a stellar performance, but also make it relatable to our peers,” Molly Rood added, starring as Luella, a farmer’s wife. “It’s important that our audience members learn something from the story, whether it’s learning how far to push your beliefs on others or that we have an inescapable destiny.” Individually, each actor faced struggles as well.
“The most challenging part about being Jennie Mae is that I feel useless in some scenes and I have to give myself just as much purpose in those parts as I do in other parts,” Lapp said. Character development also proved to be a challenge to Rood.
“Luella is a minor character, but still important of course,” said Rood. “I really had to discipline myself to stay focused and develop a character, despite how minor that part is.”
The cast was challenged to focus in on the central themes of religion and an inescapable fate. “It surrounds Greek mythology with its you-can’t-escape-your-fate theme,” Lapp said. The play will not only impact the audience with these themes, but it has impacted the actors as well.
“The most challenging part of my role is my age,” Rood said. “I am playing an older woman in her fifties, but at the same time the woman I play is in shape, so it’s difficult to play an old woman with a younger spirit in the right balance. This role has taught me patience.”
Despite all of these challenges, Rood and Lapp agree that it will all be worth it. “Once the curtain opens and closes and we all stand ready to bow, we will be proud of the beautiful story we have told,” Rood said.
The cast is pleased with how “The Diviners” has turned out so far and believes that it will be a “beautiful story” to the audience, too. “The play sounds confusing and boring,” Lapp said, “but it is one of the most emotionally tantalizing shows you will ever watch. And [Justin Baldridge, the director] does a damn good job to show it.”
The Diviners is being performed on November 7, 9, 14, and 15 at 7 p.m., November 8 at 4 p.m. where there will be a Taco Buffet available for purchase, and November 16 at 2 p.m. at the Redondo Union High School’s Auditorium, One Seahawk Way, Redondo Beach. Tickets are $8 presale at the School ASB office and $10 at the door. Early arrival is recommended as seating is limited. For more information, visit ruhsdrama.com.