Caitlin Peterson
In Motion Staff Write
A cast of four brings the Tony Award winning play “Proof” to life at Daytona State College’s News_Journal Center. The play, directed by Samantha Stern, stars Terence Van Auken as Robert, David Nelson as Hal, Heather Beam as Catherine and Joelle Gossman as Claire.
Terence Van Ayken, from left, Joelle Gossman, David Nelson and Heather Beam take a curtain call following ‘Proof’ premiere in the Gillespy Theater
“Proof” begins in the middle of the night, which mirrors the darkness and gloom that follow the main character Catherine. She is talking with her father Robert, a former math professor who is very concerned about her. She had been caring for her father through his lengthy mental illness. But the audience then calls Catherine’s mental health into question when it is revealed that her father died a week before the opening scene.
Catherine’s sister Claire, an uppity New Yorker, is flying in the next day for the funeral and sometimes does more damage than good. She suggests putting Catherine into a mental health facility, for example, and is quick to criticize. Catherine soon finds herself romantically involved with her father’s former student Hal. He discovers a groundbreaking mathematical proof in Robert’s office, and Catherine struggles to prove that the discovery Hal made was in fact written by her, and not her father. Unbenown to her sister, Catherine has a gift for math as great, if not greater, than her deceased father.
Ultimately, Hal meets with colleagues and discovers Catherine is, in fact, the author. If the crowd took away any message, it was that age and gender do not dictate someone’s ability to revolutionize the field of math or any other field.
Kendrick Thompson, a Business Management major at DSC who was attending the play for extra credit said, “At first I thought the play would be boring, but I’m so glad I saw it! It was like, snappier than I thought it would be. The girl who played Catherine was a good actress. Same with the guy who played Hal, he was really good. I like that the play showed that age has nothing to do with math and that girls can do math too.”
After the curtain call and a standing ovation, the opening night audience cleared out of the Gillespy Theater and made its way to the lobby of the News-Journal Center. While waiting for the actors to come down the large staircase, family and friends of the stars chattered excitedly about the show.
“Obviously I’m partial because my grandson is David Nelson who played Hal, but overall I thought they all did a wonderful job!,” said Diana Jabour.
Another round of applause thundered through the lobby as the actors came down the stairs, dressed as themselves, donning expressions of equal parts gratitude and relief that the premiere went so well.
“I didn’t realize that I wasn’t ready for my part emotionally. It really brought me in touch with a lot in my life,” said Heather Beam, holding a bouquet of flowers. “The love I have for my own father and family really translated into my character. Plus, the whole cast was really supportive. It was amazing. We all had such great chemistry, I don’t think ‘Proof’’ would have been the same with anyone else. Samantha Stern was great to work with and it’s been an amazing experience.”
“Little Shop of Horrors” will makes its debut for the Mike Curb College of Music, Entertainment and Art in the spring of 2015. For more information on upcoming performances, visit www.daytonastate.edu/thearts.