Last month May 2012 Next month
S M T W T F S
week 18 1 2 3 4 5
week 19 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
week 20 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
week 21 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
week 22 27 28 29 30 31
Buzz Cover Art
BUZZon iPhone App

Noticeboard

Wi-Fi for Library Branches

Islanders can now log on to free Wi-Fi at any of the province’s 26 lib....

Readmore..

Visitor’s Guide Available

Visitors planning a trip to Prince Edward Island can now receive a copy ....

Readmore..

French Summer Camps

Now is the time to register for CPF-PEI French summer camps. Students ag....

Readmore..

Active Communities

7th Atlantic Summer Institute (ASI) will be held at Holland College, Cha....

Readmore..

UPEI Credit Course on Ecological Forestry

This week-long course is a great way to learn more about the Acadian for....

Readmore..

Cuba Fall 2012

Join a 10-person group travelling to Las Tunas (near Holguin), Cuba, for....

Readmore..

Be a Host Family

Ten Japanese children aged 12–16 hope to spend a month this summer wit....

Readmore..

Income Tax Assistance

If you are in a low-income bracket and your tax situation is straightfor....

Readmore..

Scholarships for Island Women

The Canadian Federation of University Women will offer one undergraduate....

Readmore..

Watercolour/Acrylic Workshop

James E. Pay, SCA, UA will be conducting a 5-day all mediums art workshop J....

Readmore..

Needle Arts Events

Northern Lights Quilt Guild meeting/workshop takes place at the O’Lear....

Readmore..

Taste Our Island Nominations

ADAPT Taste Our Island Nominations are open. If you know of Island resta....

Readmore..

Half-price Parks Passes

Season passes for the Park Canada can be purchased at 50% off until June....

Readmore..

Stratford Public Library Events

Origami Club Wed at 6:30 pm. Learn Japanese paper folding with 3 new fol....

Readmore..

Seniors Active Living

Upcoming events for the Seniors Active Living Centre are:

Yard S....

Readmore..

Nominate Volunteers

The Voluntary Resource Council (VRC) of PEI is inviting non-profit organ....

Readmore..

MS Carnations for Mother’s Day

May is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month and the MS society is selling ....

Readmore..

CUSO Internships

Cuso International has Internships open in Charlottetown for people with....

Readmore..

Host Japanese Youth

The non-profit Japanese youth organization LABO offers a language learni....

Readmore..

Cuba Fall 2012

Join a 10-person group travelling to Las Tunas (near Holguin), Cuba, for....

Readmore..

Beaconsfield Open for Tours

Beaconsfield Historic House, Ch’town, stands as a symbol of Victorian ....

Readmore..

Coro Dolce Has Room for Members

Coro Dolce (Sweet Chorus) is hoping to attract some new members. This is....

Readmore..

Architectural Walking Tours

Volunteers in training with the Institute for Architectural Studies and ....

Readmore..

Compost Sale

Come Grow With Us! Annual St. Mark’s Compost Sale will be held on thre....

Readmore..

Victoria Day Birding

On May 21, Birding on PEI is inviting artists, photographers, biologists....

Readmore..

PEI National Park Student Art Contest

Prince Edward Island National Park invites students in grades 4 to 6 from a....

Readmore..

The Music Lives On

A new concert series, “The Music Lives On,” will run every Monday ev....

Readmore..

Sean Casey Town Hall

On May 22, 7–9 pm at The Guild in Charlottetown, join Sean Casey, Char....

Readmore..

PEI Home Economics Assoc AGM

Home Economists, as well as those who have graduated from Family and Nut....

Readmore..

Scholastic 50% Off Book Fair

The Scholastic 50% Off Book Fair will be held at West Kent Elementary Sc....

Readmore..

Prince Co Hospital History Circle

The Summerside and Area Historical Society will host their next oral his....

Readmore..

Self-Care for Superwomen

KidsWest and Family Violence Prevention will host Self-Care for Superwom....

Readmore..

Finding Your Voice

Finding Your Voice (and Earning a Buck) Through Genre Writing: PEI Write....

Readmore..

Anderson House Dinner & Auction

The Inn at St. Peters will hold its 9th Annual Anderson House Fundraiser....

Readmore..

QEH/EastLink Telethon

May 26–27 the QEH/EastLink Telethon will showcase Island entertainment....

Readmore..

Collaborative Decision Making and Problem Solving

The PEI Coalition for Women in Government will be offering workshops for....

Readmore..

PEISO Serenade to Spring

The PEI Symphony Orchestra will host its annual “Serenade to Spring”....

Readmore..

Urban Farming

Go!PEI, Charlottetown Parks and Recreation Department, and Inspired Farm....

Readmore..

Aquaculture CanadaOM 2012

PEI will host Aquaculture CanadaOM 2012, a national meeting of the Aquac....

Readmore..

Downtown Residents

The Charlottetown Downtown Residents Association will meet May 29 at 7 p....

Readmore..

Best Interests of Children

The Best Interests of the Children in Custody and Access Course will be ....

Readmore..

PEI Humane Society Dinner Bowl

The PEI Humane Society’s annual fundraising dinner, silent auction and....

Readmore..

Art in the Open Submissions Wanted

The steering committee for the Art in the Open Festival has announced a ....

Readmore..

Island Literary Awards Seeks Submissions

The PEI Writers’ Guild is celebrating the 25th Anniversary of The Isla....

Readmore..

CBI Hustle for Hunger

As a part of their 6th annual food bank fundraiser, the CBI Health has a....

Readmore..

Lobster Supper to Go

Trinity United Church Annual Take Out Lobster Supper will be held June 6....

Readmore..

'Great Day' Fore Health

The Rotary Club of Charlottetown Royalty, together with the Queen Elizab....

Readmore..

PEI History of Medicine Society Meeting

All are welcome to attend the first meeting of the PEI History of Medici....

Readmore..

Family Place at Farmer's Market

Creation Station has themed crafts for the whole family on Sat from 9:30....

Readmore..

Conversation About Addiction

The Island Addiction Movement is hosting a community conversation with f....

Readmore..

Benefit Dinner for G’ma Circle

The Landmark Cafe, in Victoria-by-the-Sea, will be the venue for a benef....

Readmore..

Yoga, Ayurvedic & Meditation

Marian Curran, RMT, CYI, CCA will be offering a Mini Workshop,  "In....

Readmore..

Gymnastics Summer Camp

Island Gymnastics Academy is running gymnastics camps on PEI this summer....

Readmore..

Family Place Summer Fun

Themed playgroups take place on Wednesdays from 9:30–11:30 am at Famil....

Readmore..

Georgetown Battle of the Bands

Georgetown is inviting bands to play at the 1st Battle of the Bands even....

Readmore..

PEI Summer Arts Auction

Gallery 18’s 5th PEI Summer Arts Auction will be held Sept 16. Gallery....

Readmore..

Home | Articles | Stage | Math is Hard
June 2011
Math is Hard
Proof
ACT production

Review by Sean McQuaid

Thomas Quinn and Renae Perry in a scene from ACT’s production of Proof (photo: pixbylorne) Thomas Quinn and Renae Perry in a scene from ACT’s production of Proof (photo: pixbylorne) Watching ACT mount Proof at the Guild, your antediluvian observer recalled an early 1990s Barbie doll controversy. The talking doll in question spouted various prerecorded phrases, notably lamenting the difficulty of math class.

“Amen sister,” says the math-phobic theatre critic. But as an unimpressed 1990s public protested, Barbie’s math anxiety reinforced negative stereotypes about girls’ supposed weakness in mathematics, so the offending phrase was soon purged from Barbie’s repertoire.

Which brings us back to Proof, the justly lauded Tony/Pulitzer-winning creation of playwright David Auburn. Part family drama, part romance, part intellectual exercise, the play covers rich thematic ground aplenty, including mathematical gender issues.

Proof’s prickly main character, math-savvy malcontent Catherine (Renae Perry), drops out of university to take care of her father Robert (Thomas Quinn), a renowned math genius forced into retirement by mental instability. Also in the mix are Robert’s protégé Hal (Adam Gauthier) and Catherine’s long-absent sister Claire (Vanessa Sweeney), each offering their own brand of guidance to the floundering Catherine.

Auburn’s clever tragicomedy crafts four uniquely distinctive characters and builds believable, engaging conflicts between them as the play explores their contrasting views on life and mathematics, finding hopeful insights while avoiding easy answers.

It’s a character-driven piece, and director Rob Reddin sensibly steps back to let the script and his actors do most of the heavy lifting in this straightforward staging. The strong ensemble cast excels at subtext, subtly hinting at unspoken thoughts and impulses, deeper and conflicted feelings.

Sweeney doesn’t quite match her more layered and nuanced castmates in this regard, but she’s also playing the arguably shallowest character, so perhaps that’s by design. Quinn’s well-sketched Robert is equal parts funny and sad, while Gauthier elicits just the right mix of ambiguity and sympathy as a droll charmer that Catherine can’t quite trust completely.

As for Catherine herself, Perry’s an actor who naturally skews hard-edged in her portrayals, so she effortlessly embodies Catherine’s darker moments: sourly sarcastic, angry at the world. Happily, Perry also shows enough range to make Catherine’s lighter side believable and entertaining: her intellectual curiosity, her brief flashes of happiness and affection, her faltering chemistry with Hal.

Perry’s appealing, multi-faceted performance is ultimately one of the show’s most crowd-pleasing elements. Combined with an able supporting cast and a great script, it all adds up to one of the happier surprises of this pre-summer theatre season.

 
 

What's Going On

Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk

June 2 Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk will play The Dunk, Breadalbane on June 2 at 7:30 pm. L ...

Sunny Days

Paintings by Lise Genova at MacNaught History Centre until May 31 Sunny Days conjures up images of ...

Air Show in Summerside

Aug 25 & 26 Atlantic Canada International Air Show will return to Summerside Aug 25–26. Event ...

Milk and Honey

May 26 Take in a ceilidh with Milk and Honey on May 26 at 8 pm at Corran Ban Hall. Milk and Honey, ...

Children’s Memorial Concert

May 27 The International Children’s Memorial Place 10th Annual Fundraising Concert is taking ...

What's New

A Dog's World

After a weeks worth of much needed maintenance and upgrades, the PEI Humane Society Dog Adoption flo ...

New Anne & Gilberts in Canada

Anne & Gilbert will be appearing on four new stages this year. The PEI office that licenses prod ...

Education Report

Government has received the report of the Education Governance Commission and is reviewing the recom ...

2012 ECMA Winners/Nominees

East Coast Music Week 2012 took place in Moncton, New Brunswick, from April 11–15. The presentatio ...

Honoured for Years of Service

Kellie Saarloos, who began offering computer access from a Cavendish pizzeria, is being honoured for ...