DeKALB |  

The School of Theater and Dance is preparing to debut its latest production “King Ubu,” , the playwright by Alfred Jarry. The play is centered around a not-so-qualified man coming into power and how this affects those around him.

The Northern Star had a chance to catch up with the production’s director Alexander Gelman.

Q: What is “King Ubu” about?

A: The story is about a foolish man that comes to power. It’s an important play written in the 19th century that I wrote a new adaptation of to be more relatable to our time and our place. I think issues of power and compatibility with power and outcomes of power are essential to us, and it’s a funny play that deals with serious matters.

Q: What do you feel is the most significant thing your adaption of “King Ubu” changed?

A: Language. It’s important that every play and every theater production is a conversation between those on stage and those in the audience.

Q: In terms of your own specific direction, where do you hope to take this production?

A: Every production aims for the truth, so every rehearsal, every session we spend preparing the production for its audience is a search for greater insight and greater truth. It’s just like science. Every experiment seeks the truth, seeks to find what really is, and that’s what we’re trying to do, and that’s what I hope I’m doing.

Q: How is it working with your student actors, and how have they received the production and your direction?

A: They’re all in various stages of their training, but [their] preparation and attitude and standards are of a professional nature, and they’re doing beautifully.

Q: What is the process of seeking the truth in terms of theater and this production?

A: The process of seeking the truth is [that] we observe behavior and we try to understand why a character would say or do something, and try to understand the motivation behind it. It’s an examination of every line, every moment, every encounter, every conflict from that perspective and looking for ways to communicate that to the audience.

Q: Do you feel like this production is necessary for our campus?

A: I think it’s essential for our campus and essential for where our society is and where our country is. As I mentioned the play is about a foolish man coming into power, that’s happened many times in history, sometimes with really tragic results. We are certainly at a point where we are examining what a leader is, what we want from a leader, what we want to avoid in a leader, and as a work of art there are points that will be exaggerated to make points clearer.