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Theatre South Carolina will present The Good Person of Setzuan, Bertolt Brecht's famous parable about the search for goodness in an evil world, Nov. 2-19.
Theatre buffs may know the German fable by its Early English title, The Good Woman of Setzuan. USC's production uses an adaptation from the original German, as interpreted by Tony Kushner, the American playwright who wrote the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Angels in America and the screenplay for Steven Spielberg's movie Munich. The more accurate translation of the German, and the title Kushner uses for his adapation, is The Good Person of Setzuan.
Whatever its title, the play is the second most-often produced of Brecht's works; The Three Penny Opera is first. In The Good Person, the gods look for a good person and, finding her, give her a small but significant gift of money. With the gift, she can rent a tobacco shop, make a living, and continue to help others in need. But to keep her gift safe from other not-so-good people, the good person must change. The good person first invents a fictional uncle, a hard-hearted businessman who can make decisions the good person cannot bring herself to make. Eventually, of course, the uncle must appear in person and complications ensue.
"The play explores a powerful, moral conundrum, but in a colorful and fun way," said Jim Hunter, who is chair and artistic director of the Department of Theatre and Dance and is designing the lighting for the production. The play also provides a teaching opportunity: a school-day matinee is being offered for middle- and high-school classes.
Guest director Beatrice Rancea is in charge of the production. A former ballet soloist, Rancea now is artistic director of the National Theatre of Constantia, Romania, and also directs for television and film. Her production of the American play, Quills, ran for more than a year at the Odeon Theater in Bucharest.
The Good Person of Setzuan at USC will feature a cast of 23, including undergraduates, MFA candidates, and local performers of many ages. Scenery is being designed by Nic Ularu, theatre; costumes are by MFA candidate Kelly Fitzpatrick.
10/06
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A scene from Theatre South Carolina's production of The Good Person of Setzuan, which opens Nov. 2.
