“A gripping mystery. An astonishing new play.” The New York Times
Bella Baird is a Yale professor who prizes her independence and solitude. When she is confronted with an obstacle that she cannot face alone, she asks for the assistance of a brilliant and mysterious student.
Actors and director will hold an open discussion at the end of the performance.
My first experience with this play was in 2019 when I saw it in New York. It was nominated for 6 Tony awards - one for best play 2020. I am excited to be able to bring this work to St. Helena. The play deals with some intense themes. The play is based on Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. In his book, Dostoevsky’s main character is a student who commits murder and then goes on to repent. There are two characters in the play. Bella is a Yale professor and narrator and Christopher a student who is writing a novel with the same themes as Crime and Punishment. In rehearsals we spend much of our time discussing writers and books and the process of writing. We talk about morality which comes up a lot in Dostoevsky’s novel, and in the play with the choices Adam Rapp's characters make and the consequences of those choices.
The play is about writers and books. It is an intimate drama and character study. The play includes references to suicide and delves into difficult terrain. There are twists and turns - suspense is a constant.