Anna Karenina

On Thursday night, in keeping with my goal of seeing more plays, I experienced a bit of theatre. This was my first experience watching a play in a small, intimate setting. The room was probably half as big as a standard gymnasium, with the proper theatre seating taking up about 3/4 of that. The stage was not the elevated structure I am used to. In fact, the floor was the stage, and the audience was slightly elevated above it.

The stage was modest at best; nothing more than two translucent screens and a couple of benches. The experience, however, was as diverse and intricate as the finest Asian tapestry.

This was a production of Anna Karenina. I have never read the book, so I didn't really know what to expect. From reading the show's program, and various websites afterwards, I see that the playwright decided to present the events in a way that linked the two main characters (Anna and Levin) metaphysically. Anna and Levin share dialogue throughout the production, but only once do they speak directly to each other. It is more as if they rely on each other to bear witness to the events of their lives; as if to acknowledge that it happened.

You can read the full text online, but I'd suggest hitting the library.

I am a terribly undereducated critic, so I'll just say that I absolutely loved the play and the actors were of such vibrant quality that my memories conspire against me to make me believe that the bare stage was in fact a lush green meadow, a dark, emotionless bedroom, a church altar, and the train tracks upon which two tragic deaths occurred.

My attention span has been slipping, but the characters before me held my interest for a solid three hours. Boy do I miss theatre.

One of my interests lies in acting. I thoroughly enjoyed it in my elementary and highschool years, but ultimately chose to stage my career on the technical landscape. I'll admit, Java code pales in comparison to the raw emotion delivered through the theatre, but it is a challenge and enjoyment of a different nature. Perhaps one day I will try my hand at acting again, but for now I am far too underdeveloped as a Software Developer to devote large amounts of time to an entirely unrelated field. I would hate to suck at two important things! Not that I suck as a Software Developer, I am actually quite good; but the sheer quality of my fellow developers at Amazon has shown me that there is much more I need to learn.

Anna Karenina is presented by Atlas Theatre, with support from The Shunpike arts collective. Written by Helen Edmundson, adapted from Tolstoy. Directed by Jose Amador and Chris Mayse. Plays until April 2nd, 2005.