From November 3rd through the 6th, the Gustavus Adolphus College Theatre Department will be presenting TRAGEDY: A Tragedy. Written by Obie Award winner Will Eno and directed by Henry McCarthy, the play is a tragically hilarious play for the fake news era.
“I think the whole thing is really funny”, says Lily Roehric ‘26. “I think the repeated elements of entrances and exits are rather… obscure, you could say. The world that we’ve created is very obscure, and the entrances and exits, which include flying at parts, are just hilarious. It’s very fast-paced, but once you get into it, it’s hilarious.”
“It’s called Tragedy, but it’s a comedy, really,” says director Henry McCarthy. “Because you have these reporters who are fighting for the spotlight to report on something that hasn’t really happened, and they find themselves without a situation to report. So, all of a sudden, anything seems like breaking news!”
Despite its comedic elements, Tragedy still, as every tragic comedy should, has its tragic moments.
“[One of the most tragic parts of the show is] seeing these characters unravel. There are very funny parts, but in rehearsal we talked about the subtext of these lines and the background motivations of the characters. And [we realized that] at some point, everything was coming together to form this big, cohesive vision of all these characters and I just turned to Henry and said ‘Wow, this got really deep!’,” Assistant Director Patrick Stonecipher said. “So, I think the most tragic part of the show is the reporters unraveling and all of their deep-seated traumas coming to the surface”.
Due to the onset of Covid-19 and the steps taken on campus and around the world to keep people safe, theatre is something that has not been back in full swing for very long. However, the crew of Tragedy sees the production as an opportunity for Gusties and the community to forget the world, have a laugh, and join others in simply being human for a bit. The show is full of surprises and unexpected twists to shock and excite the audience.
“[Gusties should come see Tragedy] because it’s a theatre production! We have been in lockdown for over two years, and this is one of the few things we do as a community where we’re required to be present with a group of strangers, all in one room, focused on one thing where we’re not on our phones or on social media. It is where we come together to be human for a little over an hour and enjoy a story,” McCarthy said.
Showtimes are November 3 at 8:00 p.m., November 4 at 8:00 p.m., November 5 at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and November 6 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at gustavustickets.universitytickets.com and are $10. Gustavus students can get tickets free of charge.
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