The UTRGV Theatre Department will perform “Red,” a play about Mark Rothko, a 20th century American abstract expressionist painter, from April 29 to May 1 in the Albert L. Jeffers Theatre in Edinburg.
Rothko (1903-1970) was commissioned to create a series of red murals for a restaurant, according to Director Richard Edmonson. The play, written by John Logan, takes place in a period in which the audience can see the artist’s work ethic, his relationship with his assistant Ken, his philosophy of art and his journey through life.
Edmonson said when he first read the play he loved it and it was memorable to him.
“I’m always reading plays and not everything sticks with me,” he said. “But this one stuck with me. It makes so many good statements and arguments about art and artists, and it’s really cerebral. I think it makes you think a lot.”
The play will begin at 7:30 p.m. April 29 and 30 and at 2 p.m. May 1. An ASL interpretation of the play will be provided April 30.
Edmonson said one of the main things that sets this play apart from others is that there are only two actors in the show.
“The actors must fill the stage with their presence,” he said. “It’s a realistic play and so the actors have to make everything that is imagined real to themselves, and, hopefully, once it’s real to themselves, then the audience will believe that it’s real, and that is not easy.
“These roles are super challenging for young actors and it’s kind of scary to have just those two people on stage for this hour and a half reciting lines the whole time, but they’re very capable and very talented actors.”
Edmonson encourages students to attend so they can learn about the artist process and get a glimpse into Rothko’s life, what he was thinking and why he created abstract expressionist art.
“[He] kinda stands apart from other artists, you know, his style, his color blocking and his many, many layers of paint,” he said. “So it’s an important time in history when this type of painting was coming into being.”
Admission is free and is open to the public. Masks are recommended and social distancing between parties will be in place.
Gerard Scot Johnson, a biology senior who will play Mark Rothko, said he would describe his character as “a hard-nosed guy.”
“He had a very defined definition of what art is,” Johnson said.
The senior said his process to get into character starts with doing research and memorizing the lines.
“Once the lines are memorized, then you don’t have to think about them anymore,” Johnson said. “Those words belong to you. And then that’s when the inflection comes in, you know. That’s when you can really inject a little piece of yourself and a little piece of the character that you’ve studied.”
Theatre junior Rolando Garza will play Ken, an aspiring artist in his 20s who works for Rothko.
Asked why he would encourage students to attend, Garza replied, “Because it’s an interesting story. It’s just two characters and they’re learning from each other, good and bad things. … It’s kind of like a father-son relationship, where, you know, the father who thinks he knows it already and is just close-minded and the son, who … has a hunger for growth and learning and is being pushed by his father.”
He said it is a play where the audience can learn things, go deep into the thoughts of the two characters, discover how they think and see how they react to each other’s thoughts.
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