"It's so bizarre that it had to be true," exclaims student playwright Taylor Shann.
Tonight at the Balch Arena, Bare Bodkin Theatre Company presents a reading of his play, "The Interview." The play takes an inside look at the fascinating personalities and events surrounding the infamous duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.
Shann originally wrote the work in New York as an on-stage documentary with the help of the Ted Shapiro Award, a grant annually to American Studies majors. He revised and adapted it into play form for his drama major senior project.
Instead of a full production, the nine-actor cast will present a read-through of "The Interview." Shann chose not to take an active part in directing tonight's performance because, as he said, "Half of the joy is watching them find other things I hadn't thought about before."
Nicole Frattaroli portrays Hamilton's mistress, Maria Reynolds. "Out of the female characters, she's the most fun," Frattaroli said. Maria, a feisty character who flaunts her relationship with Hamilton, is caught up in a blackmailing scheme involving her lover. She adds elements of sex and scandal to the play, but also exhibits a deep understanding of Hamilton.
Equally fascinating is the character of Hamilton himself, who displays a biting honesty in his observations of those around him, once referring to Burr as "not unlike the serpent in the garden."
A major motivation for writing on this topic came from Shann's utter distaste for movies such as Mel Gibson's "The Patriot," because of their failure to stay true to the subject matter. In his play, Shann tries to move away from a manipulative approach while keeping his audience interested. The play is an examination of Hamilton and Burr's respective family members, their fellow political figures, their friends, and their enemies.
"The Interview," looks at the emotion and scandal surrounding the duel. In researching the play Shann found that "under the surface it's like a soap opera. This all happened. A textbook would leave it dry; I have tried to fill it with life. What I like is that the choices these characters make are their own and on some level everyone is to blame."
Burr challenged Hamilton to a pistol duel after Hamilton publicly attacked his character multiple times. Burr killed Hamilton in the duel.
While not exhibiting bias in favor of one of the men involved in the duel, Shann "takes sides with the people around them." The play deals with the human emotions that lead up to the duel, the effects the outcome had on Hamilton's family, the consequences it had on Burr's career, and much more.
Bare Bodkin is a University theatre company that features student written works. One advantage of showcasing the work of student writers is in their ability to produce work that will attract the interest of the student body. "I want to reach the audience and find a way to make art accessible," said Shann, "The more people to get and enjoy the play the better."
