America Hurrah actors Casey Wishna (left) and Gabe Gordon are part of an eight-member cast in which each actor performs multiple roles in an exploration of the changing attitudes of the mid-1960s. The show opens tonight at the Ridgefield High School Black Box Theatre at 7:30 and continues this weekend and next. — Paul Stoogenke photo
America Hurrah, a play about the changing times of the 1960s, opens tonight at Ridgefield High School. Directed by Sherry Cox, the play examines American views on consumerism, job satisfaction, media, politics, and war.
America Hurrah was written by Jean-Claude van Italie and originally staged as a trilogy. The high school students will perform two of the original three acts: “Interview” and “TV,” explorations of growing discontent with employment issues and the powerful influence of television. When the play premiered off-Broadway in New York City in 1966, Walter Kerr, reviewing for The New York Times, described it as contemporary man’s struggle with and attempt to accept his environment.
Throughout the play, eight students perform multiple roles. They are Sarah Ford, Gabe Gordon, Meredith Karle, Sarah Klotz, Aidan Meachem, Evan Smolin, Amy Stoogenke, and Casey Wishna. The set in the 90-seat Black Box Theatre is sparse; the costumes are uniformly black and gray. The most challenging aspect of this show for the actors, according to junior Casey Wishna, is “the rapid change of character from scene to scene. Each seemingly random background character has a back story that you must convey without saying a word, and sometimes without even moving. This is also the most fun aspect of the show.”
Director Sherry Cox said, “I try to select material that not only challenges the students but provides them with an opportunity to learn about different theater styles. Theater is entertainment, but it is so much more. Theater reflects society’s concerns. As I contemplated some of the issues that people face today, I began to see a 1960s parallel, a time when many felt alienated, anonymous and anti-establishment. Just as I recognize styles of clothing repeated, I see similar repetition in society’s actions: the attempt to escape into situation comedy and reality TV, the need for material goods, and the desire for approval. Politicians spew empty promises and the American public is at odds about war. It’s important that students see the connection between theater and education.”
The students make the educational and historical connections. Meredith Karle, a sophomore, said, “In the first act, my character has lost her way in the city. She reaches out to people, asking for help; however, none is given. This scene in particular parallels the confusion people were feeling during the 1960s, reaching out to authority figures who did not offer any guidance.” She noted the similarities between the second act of the play and the influence of reality TV today. “The television begins to encroach upon the lives of the characters watching it. At the climax, the characters on the TV and those watching the TV begin to talk and act in the same way. Technology plays a huge role in modern life and it is very easy to become too involved with social media or TV.”
Actor Casey Wishna said the audience “will take away a new sense of awareness and déjà vu after seeing the show. It makes you realize that the problems the world was facing in the mid-1960s are the same problems we are still facing today, and the ones that still divide us the most.”
General admission tickets for America Hurrah are $10 and may be purchased at the door on show days, Jan. 28 to 30 and Feb. 5 and 6. All performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Ridgefield High School Black Box Theatre; the snow date for any canceled performance will be Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. Ridgefield seniors who have a Gold Card may enjoy one show for free, but must have the Gold Card with them for admission.
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