A two-actor production of David Mamet's "Oleanna" is coming to Colorado Springs this week, with both performances free to the public. It's Complicated Productions will present two free performances of the play at 7 p.m. Wednesday and 1 p.m. Oct. 1.
"Oleanna," a polarizing 1992 play, centers on a university professor named John and his student Carol. At the end of the first act, John puts his arm around Carol, and in Act Two she accuses him of sexual harassment — alleging that he said inappropriate things and displayed inappropriate behavior. The play continues with the two characters debating what happened and whose interpretation carries more weight, framing itself as a debate about communication, power dynamics, and the role gender plays.
Mamet wrote the play in response to the Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas hearings, during which Hill accused her former supervisor, U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, of sexual harassment during nationally televised Senate confirmation hearings in 1991.
David Roth stars as John and Sarah Mercer stars as Carol. The two met two years ago during an acting workshop in New York City, where they were assigned a scene from "Oleanna," and enjoyed working together enough to form their company to produce thought-provoking plays around the U.S. Mercer noted that the script's ambiguity is central to the play's power. "In the script, the stage direction is that he puts his arm around her. How that gets interpreted has varied in different performances," Mercer said. "Some pieces make it an overtly sexual act. We found that it felt more like somebody wanting to comfort another person."
A talkback and reception moderated by Colorado College President Manya Whitaker, with refreshments and light hors d'oeuvres, is scheduled from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Oct. 1. Capacity permitting, talkback attendees may also receive a free ticket to the Oct. 1 performance of the FAC musical "Come From Away." Reservations are encouraged and can be made online at fac.coloradocollege.edu.
Ticket availability for both performances, as well as seating capacity for the talkback, remains to be confirmed ahead of the opening night curtain.