Many Loyola students participated in this past weekend’s Civil War theatrical performance of “Women and Water.”
The play, written by John Guare and directed by Loyola’s Professor of Theater Lane Savadove, had its opening night last Friday.
According to Mary Rennekamp, Drama/Communications senior who was cast in the lead role, the play focuses on “the aspirations of Lydie Breeze to find this perfect place in her life.”
Lydie wants to create the ultimate utopia for her life on the island of Nantucket.
The play opens in the midst of fighting among Union and Confederate soldiers in the Civil War.
Marquette Theater provides a definite closeness between the actors and the audience.
The small size of the theater allows the audience to grasp the full effect of the brutality of a war on the homeland.
The scenery, lighting and sound effects added to the imagery of the play.
In “Women and Water,” sound plays an important role in the dramatic aspects of the plot.
Savadove did not crowd the stage with props, nor did he use extreme sound effects, for example, to portray a horse galloping.
Instead, ropes that dangled from the ceiling are tangled to provide an imaginary forest scene and a person tapping along the floor is used as a horse.
These creative images allow the minds of the audience to visualize a particular scene and to listen attentively to the dialogue being exchanged.
In the opening battle scene, we are introduced to Lydie Breeze.
She is a Civil War nurse who is overcome with passion to help all the soldiers that are wounded.
They trust everything with her, including their lives. Many of the soldiers give her their valuables in the case that they do not return from battle.
Her promise to them is that the pieces of gold or the sparkling pocket-watch will return home to their families.
Breeze goes on an adventure during the war.
The medical supplies are running low, and she travels along to a Union ship that is laden with supplies.
With the play now set on the ship, the audience is let into the character of Lydie Breeze-where she came from, where she is going and the sad events that have surrounded her life.
When she arrives at her ultimate goal, what will become of the past?
The students did a wonderful job making the play come to life.
They realistically represent the swirl of events that made the Civil War.
They also show the audience the personalities that helped shape the American character.
The final performance will be held tonight at 8 p.m.
From left to right Nick Lopez, Ian Hock, Mary Rennekemp, and Chris Ingham engage in a dramatic moment. (Loyola University)
