The high class glamour and drama of 1930s New York took stage at Moore Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 21 in DePauw's production of "The Women."
Clare Booth Luxce's "The Women" depicts gender roles and class struggles a critique on 1930s New York society. Luce, a writer and congresswoman, analyzed female interpersonal relations through the interactions of her characters.
The women in the play are Manhattan's elite: a group of wealthy socialites in glamorous settings. Throughout the play, these women are jealous, deceitful and often pit themselves against each other through gossip and rumors. This general theme is something director Susan Anthony found to be still relevant today.
"I don't want to do this play to perpetuate stereotypes, but I'd like us to sit down and talk about where we're at," Anthony said.
This story revolves around Mary Haines, one of the many leads, played by first-year Margaret Furtner. When Mary discovers that her husband is having an affair with a woman of a lower social class, Mary's friends offer ways in which she should handle her dilemma. Ultimately, Mary decides to divorce her husband. Mr. Haines ends up marrying Crystal, the woman with whom he was having an affair. In the production, Crystal is played by senior Eleanor Axt who jokes that her character "started from the bottom now we're here."
"In the beginning they think of me as someone who works at the perfume counter at Saks [Fifth Ave] and doesn't have a high position in society," Axt explained. "In the later acts, my character ends up becoming friends with them because I end up having higher class but that only comes as a result of marrying a richer man."
"The Women" is a unique production because of its all female cast. Men play an important role in the story and are at the center of conflict and discussion, yet none of these male figures ever make an appearance.
However, many males expressed interest in the production, so Anthony took the artistic liberty to transform Mrs. Smythe Jones into a drag character.
"I had a couple of guys ask if they could play a drag role and I said, 'Why not?'"
The role will be played by a different actor each night, showcasing the talents of seniors Carter Gorman, Rick Allen and Professor of Communication and Theatre Andrew Hayes.
Though the play itself is a critique of women in high society, the drag roles is not intended to make a particular statement.
"I'm not trying to do this to make fun of women or men," Anthony said. " I just thought the role itself is a ridiculous pretentious woman so that's what we're going to make her: a ridiculous and pretentious woman."
Preparing the male actors for a female role brought about unexpected challenges for the crew. Sophomore Tori Lividini said the cast had to train the actors how to act like women, and it was through small actions that she was reminded of the differing gender norms that exist.
"At one point, one of the boys sat down, but they sat down with their legs apart," Lividini said. "You have to cross your legs, speak higher. We had to teach them. They had to take lessons on being a woman because they did not understand."
Drag roles can be challenging not only for accurate portrayal, but also in logistics. Finding dresses and high heels to clothe the men wasn't easy, as their sizes and proportions are often different from the average woman. The stagehands had the tough job of designing and altering clothes for the men.
Anthony also instructed the men to make minor changes in their manly appearance to be truly in character.
"One of the actors is going to have to shave [his] legs 15 minutes before the show," Anthony said.
The casts not only tries to stay true to the way women interact in the 1930s, but they also show the time period accurately with set design and props. The actresses will smoke cigarettes, play cards and take tea to bring the audience back in time with them.
Many DePauw students have gotten involved with the production beyond the actors. The production features live music from the era played by Jacob Peterman, Ben Ramos, Will Johnson and Dan Hickey. The band will play their jazzy beats during the pre-show, alongside numerous DePauw vocalists and during scene changes.
"The Women" has offered students the chance experiment with their abilities in the theatre. This production forces the actors to think critically about their roles in the play, as first-year Cate Hensley learned. The woman she plays is of a lower social class, and with that she believes she has more freedom.
"I get to get a little angry and a little pissed off," said Hensley. "The hardest part is knowing how far the line is and where I'm going to cross it."
The strong camaraderie with the cast didn't make the divide any easier, Hensley added.
"One of the biggest obstacles throughout the play was remembering I'm not as high class as they are."