Are you itching to go to the theater? Maybe you’re simply looking for something new – or just something – to do over the weekend? I went to the opening night of Cloud Tectonics, presented by Notre Dame’s FTT Department, and I highly recommend seeing it! With a fantastic cast, crew and production team, an abstract plot with a sci-fi edge, and plenty of love and humor, this production is not one to forget. The show is a satisfying blend of pensive and entertaining theater.
Written by Jose Rivera, the play Cloud Tectonics considers the possibility of a person existing outside of time, or more specifically, a person who moves through time differently than everyone else. He or she wouldn’t have an “internal clock” and would have trouble distinguishing lengths of time, such as days from years. One character in the play, after encountering such a person, comments that understanding that person would be like trying to understand “cloud tectonics,” providing the namesake of the theatrical work.
At first, the idea of time passing at different rates for different people seemed strange to me, but I realized as the show progressed that we all have experiences of passing through time differently. For instance, we feel that “time flies” when having fun or that time passes really slowly when sitting through a less than exciting class. We may feel than we’ve been walking through the unforgivingly cold, South Bend outdoors for eons when it’s only been a few minutes. Also, when we don’t have any outside time references (watches, clocks, phones, etc.), it doesn’t take long for us to lose track of time. Cloud Tectonics made me consider how much we take “time” for granted and how integral it is in our understanding of human life.
I also really liked the theme from the show that love can stop time, that it’s more powerful than time. When two characters in the show fall in love one stormy night, they forget everything else in their lives, including time. It made me think of how we say love is “timeless,” eternal, or that it never dies, which I think are beautiful portrayals of love.
The show incorporated terrific scenery, staging, and special effects. The backdrop and lighting was dreamlike and entrancing, pulling the audience into the story taking place on stage. The incidental music used for the show really helped set the mood for each scene, ranging from casually upbeat to sensual to transcendent, with recurring motifs for characters or certain scenarios. My favorite effect was the rain! Upstage, during several scenes, it “rained” on stage, thanks to the efforts of the Special Effects for Studio and Stage class (FTT 30905)!
I don’t want to give too much away about the show, but I encourage you all to get tickets and see Cloud Tectonics! Bring your friends with you! Tickets can be purchased at http://performingarts.nd.edu/ or by calling (574)631-2800.
Note: This show contains mature content.
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