Original student play 'The Unsaid' debuts in Moore Hall's Theatre-on-the-Side
“The Unsaid,” an original play directed by Alpena graduate student Kevin Currier, debuted Thursday night to a packed house in Moore Hall’s Theatre-on-the-Side.
Described as a “slam choreopoem,” the production, adapted from original poetry written by the cast and crew by Florida senior Richard Bronson, is part dramatic monologue and part poetry.
Currier called the production "reader’s theater."
“The actors go on stage and present poetry to the audience,” Currier said.
The production is comprised of six actors, each of whom alternate reading poetry meditating on the theme of loss, grief and reconciliation.
“It started back in early summer, when Richard lost his mom," Currier said. "He wasn’t able to talk about it all summer, and he started writing poetry about it. We wanted to expand on that."
Currier's and Bronson’s main goal is for the audience to relate on a personal level to the characters' struggles with grief.
“Almost everyone has been through the grieving process,” Currier said. “Anyone who knows grief personally knows the ‘five stages’ don’t exist. It’s a personal experience.”
“The Unsaid” is designed to be unconventional; from its post-modern concept — the play has no defined plot or ending — to its immersive, colorful set, designed to represent a fractured sense of grief and personal loss.
“This has to be an emotionally-driven experience,” Currier said. “I want the audience to just let go. The overall idea is to make them think with their emotions. I just want them to feel it.”
The script was a collaborative effort, with Currier, Bronson and faculty member Sadie Chandler holding a series of workshops with the actors to develop their parts.
Actor and Saint Clair Shores resident David Giles, a junior at Mid-Michigan Community College, said the workshop process was extremely helpful.
“I’m into acting, not poetry,” Giles said. “I’ve never thought of myself as a writer, so it really helped. We talked about our experiences and brought our ideas in. Things to get us into the mindset for writing poetry. Now I want to write more.”
The theater space doubles as an art gallery, where Plymouth artist William Carl Hornshaw Jr.’s work is on display. Hornshaw’s haunting, sculptural paintings, made with polyurethane, are designed to compliment the production’s environment.
“I started to cry. It was really moving," said Taylor Johnson, a Belding sophomore.
“The Unsaid” will be showing at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday in the Theatre-on-the-Side in Moore Hall, with doors opening at 7 p.m.
