Sissy Thesis

Sissy, a new play by Garret Milton, an MFA playwright at The Catholic University of America, directed by Jenny Fredrick premiered on February 17 2017 at the Callan Theatre. The play takes a unique approach about learning how to live our life to the fullest, while showing the importance of living in the present moment and not worrying about the past or the future. Sissy follows the story of an office clerk name Sissy (Kevin Boudreau) who still lives with his father Herman (Carl Randolph) while being bullied by his boss Talus (Desiree Chappelle) at work. He lives a repetitive life and desperately needs a reminder that life is all about adventures. The office mouse (Carson Collins) takes Sissy on several different adventures through the galaxy

Thesis Statement: design elements, actors performances and theatre space, overall approach contributed creating an unsettling overall approach about life and the production.? (P1)

The particular acting performances that helped me experience and understand the play more fully were the grieving scenes of Herman and Nara. Both characters go through a series of emotions trying to find new ways learning how to live without their loves ones being physically present. Each character goes through the grieving process differently. Rachel Foley and Carl Randolph make a believable connection with their character physically, mentally and emotionally. In Act 2, Sissy’s father Herman experiences loneliness and depression. This scene is comically heartbreaking since it becomes uncomfortable to watch at the end when he drowns himself in the pond. Herman has been sitting on the couch, mail over the place in his gray pajamas for a couple of days grieving and reminiscing about his wife. Randolph had played the role well because he showed Herman’s transformation of his physical and mental state. The audience gets to witness Randolph losing himself into his character allowing the transformation of Herman to speak

The image of his wife vanishes for a minute until it reappears again in the pond. Randolph again pleads and begs his wife to stay with him while gliding his hands back and forth into the pond. Feeling resentful and overwhelmed Herman starts drowning himself putting his head back and forth into the water until he does not come back up again. The character reactions and choices that Randolph made me live in the moment. This is such powerful scene because the audience gets to witness the emotional torment that Herman was experiencing after his wife’s death. Carl Randolph not only transformed himself physically, mentally and spiritually into the role of Herman but also allowed himself to have several emotional expressions that were consistent allowing me to feel the connection of how someone can become numb, shocked and fearful when a spouse dies. The authenticity of Randolph’s performance of mourning, grief and sorrow made me think about how quickly one’s world can change and how difficult it could be picking up the pieces. Someone may feel guilty about himself or herself being the one who is still alive. Randolph’s death scene is metaphorical representation of drowning in grief, sorrow