One of the most awkward, fascinating places to be is a community theater class, where small moments of silence and seemingly-silly acting exercises combine to bring people together. Duke Players’ production of “Circle Mirror Transformation” navigates these small moments as an exploration of human connection, building a grounded, funny, and heart-wrenching world that reaches into moments of awkward uncertainty and pulls out vulnerability.
“Circle Mirror Transformation,” written by Annie Baker, follows five strangers participating in a community theater acting class. Through a series of quick vignettes of the six-week class, the characters’ relationships, insecurities and transformations are highlighted in serenely intimate moments of vulnerability.
Student director Ondine Peck-Voll, a Trinity senior, wanted to emphasize this sense of connection when taking on the play: “To me, the play is about how much we can learn and grow when we start getting honest about the things we’ve kept hidden inside. That’s what drew me to [the show] the most, because I think it’s something we can relate to.”
This vision of intimate vulnerability can be difficult to achieve, but the entire cast and crew of “Circle Mirror Transformation” brilliantly developed this concept into reality. Watching the play feels like the familiar, slow drip of getting to know the people around you. As characters tell each others’ stories, the audience pieces together aspects of their past and understands how these wildly different people work as a group.
Every cast member of “Circle Mirror Transformation” astounds in their individual balances of brilliant comedic timing and true depth of character to deliver an unforgettable, moving production.
Senior Lauren Glusman delivers a grounded, hilarious and profoundly reflective performance as Marty, the free-spirited teacher of the Vermont community theater program. Her work is complemented excellently by sophomore Augustus Adams, who brings Marty’s husband James to life with comedic timing and the ability to linger in natural silence that leaves the audience wanting more. First-year Cooper Herrett, making his Duke theatrical debut as Schultz, captures both an intense longing for change and a difficulty with moving on. Seneca Russell, a junior portraying ex-actress Theresa, explores these themes of change and moving forward through subtle character choices emphasizing her growth in confidence and stability. Finally, senior Esmé Fox shines as Lauren, a high school junior with dreams of being an actress, as she reflects upon her identity and insecurities.
The cast shows a profound dedication to naturalistic and vulnerable performance, with subtle characterization building to reflect how people confront both joys and insecurities.
“I’ve been working every single day with the actors since the start of the semester, and they all matched me in terms of their commitment,” says Peck-Voll. “Now that I’m starting to hear how much people love their performances, I think, ‘Wow, we crafted that together.’”
What truly brings the vulnerability of “Circle Mirror Transformation” together is the play’s use of design elements. The set, designed by senior Charlotte Gehring and sophomore Shan Tang, transforms the Brody Theater into a pared-down version of a community theater, allowing the actors to shine and inviting the audience directly into the world of the play. Mirrors line the back wall of the theater, enabling the audience to see different snippets of character’s responses and actions reflected back at them. This set is impeccably lit by the work of junior Joey Fleming. Every shift in lighting feels perfectly suited to reflect the connections and feelings of the characters, from stark white to warm, late-afternoon yellows.
Leaving Brody Theater, I was left thinking about the surreal intimacy of the production. Within just an hour and forty-five minutes, I felt as though I had seen the same slow vulnerability that comes with opening up to people and experiencing the new and unfamiliar from parts of my own life put to stage. “Circle Mirror Transformation” truly captures grounded, realistic, and equally heart-wrenching and hilarious moments that make up our real lives and connections with others.
There are two more opportunities to see “Circle Mirror Transformation”; the play will be showing Oct. 26 at 8:00 p.m. as well as Oct. 27 at 2:00 p.m. While tickets for these showings are sold out, Duke Players will be arranging additional seating to accommodate walk-ins who arrive at Brody Theater close to the show’s beginning. I highly recommend taking a glimpse into the commitment, passion and connection that flows throughout Duke Players’ “Circle Mirror Transformation.”
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