Evidence of good talent

If you take one experienced student director and add four talented student actors and one intimate stage, the mathematical result is enjoyment, at least in the case of Proof, one of the PSU Theatre Department’s winter productions.

A tale not far removed from the academic setting, Proof recounts a quirky drama that arises between a mathematics professor gone mad, his potentially brilliant daughter and his student advisee. When the professor dies and an earth-shattering mathematical proof is discovered among his notebooks, the question arises: who wrote the proof?

The complex character of Catherine, played by PSU theater graduate, Jaclyn Krowen, carries the story forward. An emotionally volatile 25 year-old who might be mentally deranged, a prodigy or both, Catherine leaves us wondering where to draw the line between genius and psychosis.

“It’s a story of hope, and a story that really spoke to me as an artist and as a person,” said Proof director Becci Swearingen.

Swearingen chose Proof for her graduate thesis project at PSU because of her passion for art that directly portrays life, because she identified with Catherine’s character, and also because she likes mathematics. She has previously stage-managed and directed shows in Portland and throughout Missouri.

The production was a labor of love because it required the cast to work over winter break.

“We worked nearly every day of the break,” Swearingen said. “We were able to hold longer rehearsals, which really helped us to develop the arc of the play.”

The extra work shows. While the script itself is little more than a humorous, fictional rendition of the 1998 biography, A Beautiful Mind, the excellent acting is enough to engross the audience. With well-worked scenes and no empty pauses, there isn’t a moment that this play hits a lull. The simple, functional set design also contributes to Proof‘s success.

The only area in which Proof could use support is in the choice of musical score, which goes a bit overboard with Coldplay songs and ‘90s rock. An Ace of Base cover—thick with a squealing harmonica and whiney singing—plays a solid role between scenes that involve the student mathematician’s tacky band, if the satire was intended.

Working toward producing a play in the temporary space at New Studio Theater was not ideal. While the theater is an intimate space that allows the audience to be up close, it also can fill up quickly and effectively drive away potential theatergoers. The unusual acoustics, too, provided a challenge for the cast, who had to retrain themselves to project their voices less than usual.

Written by playwright David Auburn, Proof premiered on the stage in 2000. The play won multiple awards in 2001, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It then disappeared under the radar for a few years until it was later adapted for the screen and released as a film under the same title in 2005.