The GPP Offers “Proof”

Photos by Relja Kojic

The Gwangju Performance Project (GPP) will be putting on the play “Proof” by David Auburn from Dec. 6 and 13.

The story follows the daughter of a recently deceased mathematician who must prove authorship of a groundbreaking proof in her father’s papers, all the while dealing with the shadow of his genius and mental illness.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning play has been made into a film, following a line of Auburn’s works that deal with themes of family and psychological dilemmas. It’s a subject matter that director Tori Brown said “connects with people on many levels.”

According to Brown, “It entices the audience to question the connections between mental health and genius. The relationships we have with other people and also issues within families. People who suffer from mental illness are often oppressed within societies. Though it’s getting better, people still feel shameful about it.”

Brown’s concern is not without footing, given the recent protests against South Korea’s National Police Agency and their screening restrictions on individuals with a history of mental illness. According to Korea Times editor Lee Chang-sup, “Discriminating against applicants with a history of mental illness would worsen the stigma that people with even minor mental disorders face… And discourage them from getting medical treatment.”

Brown also said she had comedy legend, Robin Williams, in mind while putting the play together. Williams committed suicide this year.

Although mental illness is a familiar motif in Auburn’s work, Brown hopes the final product will be “a very different production to anything anyone will expect… I really want the audience to experience something different. I am inspired by a lot of ideas as we go along, as the play evolves, grows and develops; a lot of amazing ideas come to me at 3a.m. when I didn’t sleep!”

Brown had at least a couple of options for a script to follow but decided to stick with the original.

“We are using the original script, but the play will not be what anyone is expecting,” Brown said, citing influences from experimental practitioners Grotovski and Lecoq.

 

New surprises mean new challenges, though. For example, Brown said, “There is going to be a minimal set, so the audience isn’t going to see a porch which is described in the script. Instead we have a representation of that, so for me a challenge is making sure that all the actors work is complete to make the world real.”

The actors themselves, Brown mentioned, range from individuals with a relatively extensive theatre background to first-timers behind the curtain. Although there are difficulties with catering to the different levels of each actor, GPP president Anna Volle thinks this variety is one of the better things about doing theatre in Korea.

“The most amazing thing about making theatre happen in Korea is that the field is wide open,” Volle said. “ Back in North America, getting involved with theatre can be extremely competitive and difficult… Here, anything is possible.”

Volle emphasized the GPP’s willingness to work with newcomers. The group holds its own own workshops for almost every aspect of theater. “Our group encourages anyone to join our workshops, auditions, choir and future endeavors. For any and all of our events, no experience or skill is required, and everyone is welcome.”

The GPP is also looking to reach out to the Korean community. “We’ve started subtitling our full-length plays to make them more accessible to the Korean audience. We also have a new GPP Player, Jackie Choi, who is our Korean liaison.”

“Proof” will have a total of four viewings: Saturday, December 6 @ 8p.m., Sunday December 7 @ 3p.m., Saturday, December 13 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. It will be playing at the Gwangju Art Hall, near the downtown Megabox movie theater.

For more information, check out their website at www.gwangjutheatre.com or email them at gwangjuplayers@gmail.com.