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Cellar Theatre Analysis

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Once again, I was pleasantly surprised by how the University Theatre Department disproved my expectations for one of its productions. Mrs. Packard wasn’t nearly as hyped up as A Behanding in Spokane was and, aside from knowing that the show was unproduced, I had no idea what I was walking into when I entered the Cellar Theatre opening night. In my preview, I talked about how I was worried that the playwright, Emily Mann, would use Mrs. Packard as an outlet to bash Christianity as an oppressive and outdated religion. Anything that has a Christian undertone always poses this type of threat for me; fortunately, Mrs. Packard did not prove my fears right. Instead, the sensitive subject of differing religious viewpoints was handled with grace. I completely agree with Mann’s point of view that Calvinism during that time period was a terrifying religion that preached hellfire and brimstone without talking about the redemptive love of Jesus Christ. I even found myself agreeing with some of the points that Mrs. Packard brought up during her disagreements with her husband (I guess there’s a good chance that I would be declared insane too!). I don’t think that the production was as feminist-centered as I thought it would be; this wasn’t a problem, though, …show more content…

The only thing that came close to being a “special effect” was the waterboarding scene, which was believable. I don’t think makeup was used as effectively as it could have been, especially when it came to the corporeality of the show. Both of the Packards were visibly younger than they should have been, and makeup could have been used to combat that. I’m not sure why the cast chose to not utilize makeup, but it wasn’t a distraction. I don’t think the show missed any opportunities to convey anything important; Emily Mann wrote this play to be seeped in social activism and the cast and crew didn’t fail to pull off her

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