Two brothers writhing in the ruins of a kitchen floor, the strangler cannot hear the strangled. Though the image had been foreshadowed, no one — not even their own mother — could have imagined the younger vexed into such a savage stance: transforming with the roar of a lion and body of man, eyes gleaming with the sun’s passionate intensity. What tragic beast, never foreseen to see the light of day, lurches towards civilization to be born?
I had the absolute pleasure of witnessing this magnetic force of a performance by Cog Dog Theatre Troupe the night of April 26 at Risley Hall. True West by Sam Shepard is a literary masterpiece chock-full of iconic lines and inspired characters that explore familial dynamics from a destructive frame of reference; all of which were executed quite skillfully and respectfully by this production. Student actors Jack McManus and Justin Lee were phenomenal at capturing the essences of the characters Austin and Lee on stage and, most impressively, swapping each other’s roles between shows. This two-hander feat of playing different characters outside of type-casting demonstrates the unparalleled devotion they have to storytelling in the performing media arts. This ambitious artistic choice was made possible by director Emily Pugh, whom I was lucky enough to speak with before tickets were even on sale.
“My favorite part of this experience was producing a concept and an atmosphere,” Pugh told me, “what it could be, moment-to-moment.” The intensive play and ability to go nuts in collaboration with close friends helped to form the great overarching vision. No puppeteering necessary; the actors practically got to craft themselves as she crafted the direction of the story. In conversation, I wondered what other talents and hobbies aided her in production. “Probably music and singing,” she reflected, “hearing language as music: what does it look like in terms of pacing and audience perspective?” Pugh would listen to the play before rehearsal and dissect the western film motifs in Shepard's creative choices. As a lover of various artistic mediums, she found the musicality in the language and managed to externalize it into individuals' movement in relation to one another, how they could carve up space on stage. “Sam Shepard is a phenomenal playwright, this was a good piece to dig into.”
I saw firsthand how the protagonists challenged each other, reminding me of how determined McManus and Lee were to be challenged by their roles. To Austin, the world is rather economic and deliberate, and so he moves as if he is on a grid. Lee is like a coyote prowling; if he sees a table, he will stand on it. Gritty and raw, there was an underlying predator-prey dynamic between the physicalities of their performance and a startling diffusion of their personalities. It is no wonder that the house exploded into chaos by the very end as everything came home to roost.
Student actors David Gilmore and Ana Mocklar played Saul and the Mom, respectively. Despite their relatively limited amount of screentime in the story, these two delivered captivating power and heart that really tied the project together. Some of the hilariously memorable lines from this project came subtly, such as Saul’s playful talk about his love for golf, or when the Mom returned home from vacation and questioned, amidst the destruction of her home, why there were so many toasters strewn on the floor.
True West is a brilliant classic that was captured beautifully by Cog Dog Theatre Troupe — as to be expected; they are “on intimate terms with this prairie,” after all. The talent and drive demonstrated by its members is honestly an inspiration to everyone here at Cornell with artistic passions and prowess. The concept of trading roles between shows and making it work on this scale is nothing short of remarkable, and I am still in awe of how those involved in this production fought dragons together to reach this finished product. It is obvious that they all had the time of their lives in the process, and that students at Cornell can continue to expect similar home-run performances on campus in the future.
Marc Staiano is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at mcs382@cornell.edu
