Nancy Ceja
Staff Writer
“Three Days of Rain” is the brand new production being presented by ISU’s Department of Theatre and Dance this spring.
A tale written originally by Richard Greenberg in 1997, it is a story of time, loss, and family disconnectedness. Over the years, it has been deemed as an elegant play fit for the modern century by many critics.
Not only has it gained a following as the classic play many people know, but it also has been made as a Broadway production gaining sizable reputations with celebrities like Julia Roberts, James McAvoy, Nigel Harman and Paul Rudd playing the popular characters over the years. It even celebrated two movies in early 2002 and 2005.
“This play is about family, it’s about legacy and it’s about understanding our personal pasts,” said Stefan Espinosa, the play’s director. “One of the things I love most about the play is that there are no simple answers, just a story presented in two perspectives — the present and the past.”
At the beginning of the play, brother Walker and sister Nan are at their deceased father’s apartment with childhood friend Pip, who await the reading of the will of their father, an architect of high status and the business partner of Pip’s father. It quickly switches from the mid-1990s to the 1960s in the second act, where the audience gets to see the same actors playing the original characters’ parents.
It is a chance to see how right or wrong the original characters were about their parents before everything happened. “Three Days of Rain” presents a story of complex relationships with family and the inaccurate assumptions children make about their parents.
“They all have large roles with little to rest off-stage, and these are very complicated characters-very smart and very complicated. It has to be one of the most challenging plays to act that I have ever directed,” Espinosa said. “This play gives us a [different] perspective and I think it makes us reflect on our own parental relationships (or our relationships with our kids) with new eyes and possibly greater understanding.”
Austin Baum, Justin Lewis and Hannah Romney will play all six of the credited roles in the play: Theo/Pip, Ned/Walker and Lina/Nan, respectively. Just having three actors playing all the roles is innovative and creative, as the audience gets to experience the vast talents of such an incredibly small crew.
It’s an academic-style play with Greenberg’s style of analytical speech, precise and intelligent. However, Espinosa says there are quite a few surprises in store for the audience, including some special effects and fire. The play’s meant to keep viewers on their toes as they experience the story unfolding.
The play has already performed this past opening weekend and will continue its story this week on Feb. 14, 15 and 16 at the Black Box Theatre. All showings will begin at 7:30 p.m. Seating is limited, and tickets can be purchased in person, on the website isu.edu/tickets or by calling 208-282-3595.
