This weekend, the Theatre Department is putting on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, The Skin of Our Teeth, by Thornton Wilder, for the annual fall play.
The Skin of Our Teeth is running on both Friday, November 12 and Saturday, November 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center. Tickets are sold during lunch and online, costing $8.00 for students and $12.00 for adults.
Concord Theatricals described the play as a combination of “farce, burlesque and satire”. The Skin of Our Teeth follows the story of the Antrobus family (plus a side chick or two) and their experience living through three apocalyptic disasters in human history: an ice age, Biblical Flood and war.
Drama Club Vice President and senior Keegan Brown, who plays the father, George Antrobus, described the comedy as going beyond the story of the Antrobus’ outrageous survival.
“The Skin of Our Teeth [is about] seeing how [the family] overcomes humanity and the common mistakes that humanity makes,” Brown said.
Although a comedy, the audience is forced to think about daunting subjects, which, although difficult for some to digest, will create an impact on those watching. Matthew McKay, the director, claimed that the play simply makes the audience think. That’s the point of the show.
“It’s hard to pin down exactly what you are supposed to think about,” McKay said. “It tries to tackle the immense topic of how humanity has survived through many disasters, both natural and human-made. But, along the way, it demonstrates the importance of family and champions the arts and human creativity and desire to start over.”
Although the play depicts rather extreme events from long ago, the overall storyline of human survival through adverse circumstances is relatable now more than ever. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have revaluated their own viewpoints on life, especially regarding the important things in life. The support from friends and family had been quintessential for many in surviving through the pandemic.
“This show is about human perseverance and ability to create newer, better ways to live,” McKay said. “We are living through a historical time and the future is uncertain. But The Skin of Our Teeth offers us hope by reminding us that we’ve survived through worse in our collected history, and together we can build a better future.”
Maybe making it through a pandemic isn’t quite as dreadful as an ice age.
Brown agreed that The Skin of Our Teeth, besides being a simply good show, alters personal perspective and is worth coming out and watching.
“People should see this show, because it is a unique play that enables you to not only enjoy a show full with comedy and adventure, but also [see] humanity from an aspect you wouldn’t normally see,” Brown said.
Adventure is right. It should be noted that there is, in fact, a dinosaur making an appearance during the show. Well, as close to a real dinosaur as what was in the Drama Club budget.
