CMU School of Drama


Thursday, April 20, 2017

'Collaborators' at Pittsburgh's Quantum Theatre

Program Notes: By turns hilarious and sinister, and sometimes both at once, Collaborators is an exceptionally engaging evening of theater. Playwright John Hodge’s satiric drama imagines an almost-plausible 1930s collusion between famed writer Mikhail Bulgakov and Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

As history and biography, the play takes us only so far. But it’s a fascinating — and highly entertaining — rumination on the relationship between politics and art and a terrifying exploration of the price of moral compromise.

2 comments:

Lauren Miller said...

After reading this I am actually interested in seeing the show. After some *cough cough* interesting experiences in the audiences of some (honestly -one in particular) of Quantum's shows, I basically just ignore whatever they are currently working on (it was a really bad show...). However, I figure that Quantum is probably the only theater in Pittsburgh that would quickly start producing politically relevant theater. Everyone else already has their season set for the year and wouldn't be able to just produce art that speaks to current events. I suppose that is the benefit of working for a smaller (perhaps lower budget or experimental) theater company. I am excited to hear more about this production in the future and my heart is gladdened that so many of our faculty will be involved in the creation of this piece. Hopefully it will be better than past productions by quantum that I have "enjoyed".

Antonio Ferron said...

I hope I get the opportunity to see this production before it closes. It seems as though concepts and content are very strong based on what I've heard. Looking at the article specifically, I found it so interesting how fixated the author is on the two different images for the program. Even the it was dismissed as just a fluke, this shows the power of the images we choose to use and associate with our art. A change in color and hairstyle on the cover of a program can change an audiences perception of of what they're seeing on stage. Each and every choice made pertaining to a production have a responsibility of contributing to the story, therefore each detail must be thought about carefully (including the poster and program). We should always be paying attention to what we are creating and understanding how our choices may impact the larger picture.