This past weekend, I had the absolute pleasure of seeing the premiere of the Augustana Theatre Department’s production of Crimes of the Heart. Set in the heart of Mississippi, Crimes of the Heart tells the story of a dysfunctional family of three sisters who are suddenly reunited when the youngest sister, Babe, is arrested for shooting her husband. Dark, funny, and emotionally provocative, Crimes of the Heart is a powerful play that exposes the rawness of the human condition through the love of three sisters. It’s touching, thought-provoking, and an absolute must-see.
However, don’t just take my word for it. Here’s what three of the actresses had to say about the show and why it’s important to them:
1. “What is important about it from the standpoint of having a primarily female cast is that it talks a lot about issues that women face that people don’t always want to talk about, particularly mental illness. A lot of people do not like to talk about mental illness, especially in women…Overall, I think it’s really cool in the way that it shows kind of a messier side of women. Women in theatre have had a history of being portrayed as single-sided, glamorous, and sex-objects. But even women who are not played from that angle are often not very well-written, but this play is a good example of well-written, well-rounded, imperfect women just telling their story.”
-Elise Campbell; portrays “Babe”; pictured right
2. “One thing that the show points out, that I think in society we do a lot, is that we don’t really tell people how we’re feeling or what’s going on. We just kind of put on this mask of like ‘Oh yeah, I’m doing fine,”. In the show, you see the different characters and they’re all struggling with very different things and aspects of their lives, but they don’t talk about it too openly. And you see how, without talking about it openly, it has a negative effect on the characters. In the end, things end up happy and everyone’s together, but I think watching the characters go through their own personal issues by themselves shows how, even in society today, people still put on their mask and go ‘I’m fine’, but we don’t really know. And I think it points out that the more people talk about things and form a community that they feel comfortable in, it just illustrates that, the more openly people talk about things, the better it ends up for them.”
-Lauren Clapp; portrays “Lenny”; pictured centered
3. “Last year, I was in Machinal, and my grandma came to see the show and she didn’t understand why it didn’t end on a happy note, like the traditional theatre she typically goes and sees. I had to explain to her how sometimes productions that you do in college and the real theatrical world have truth to them and don’t try to sugarcoat things, but, instead, are trying to portray a specific scene, a specific walk of life, a specific challenge. I think that’s what I’ve always really liked about Dr. Popple and how she directs and chooses plays: she takes the truth out of these pieces. I think the really cool part about Crimes of the Heart is that it wasn’t originally intended to highlight what we’re highlighting. It was really an underlying thing kind of fused with a lot of comedy and I think that Augustana’s Crimes of the Heart both equally gives those funny, genuine, true moments while also portraying the very real truths without the distraction of set pieces and elaborate, huge, fancy scenes. It tells and shows the truth in a very simplistic way.”
-Sarah Baker; portrays “Meg”; pictured left
Crimes of the Heart is directed by Doctor Jennifer Popple and is being performed February 3rd and February 4th at 7:30 pm, as well as on February 5th at 1:30 pm. Tickets are $9.00 for students, faculty, and staff, and $11.00 to the general public. Tickets can be purchased online or at the Bruner Theatre Ticket Office.
(Photo Credit: Cam Best)