Director's Note | Curse of the Starving Class
Deana A. Duncan, director
I read somewhere that, “wouldn’t it be great if Sam Shepard’s’ plays were hopelessly outdated, but they aren’t.” This strangely feels like the perfect show for this time. Theatre’s purpose is to confront the mystery of human existence. Shepard felt this and presented poetic reality coming out of a deep ‘aloneness;’ an aloneness and isolation we now know more than ever. He finds opportunity, even in decay, to remind us that there is no light unless you open the door. Shepard litters his stories with real people oscillating between realism and savage fantasy and creates images of considerable power. His messages are as relevant today as when he wrote them. Maybe more so.
I identify with this story, having grown up in the desolate high desert above Elko, Nevada. Lonely and wind driven, my childhood was spent riding my horse and motorbike with a little rifle slung against my back. In Elko you can hear the long distant sound of the train whistle as it travels across the county and all I ever wanted to do was get on that train and get out. That’s Curse of the Starving Class in a nutshell. These people want out, but life isn’t going to let them.
I don’t believe art is here to answer big questions, but rather to explore and challenge assumptions and viewpoints. WICA strives to create living, adventurous art that engages artists and audiences in a reflection on the complex nature of life. There is a range of voices in theatre that invite us to encounter someone else’s story and perspective. Curse of the Starving Class is not pretty, safe art – it will force us to consider the lives, conflicts, circumstances, passions, and ideas that are still relevant today in our country. A country where the price of owning a home and the comfort of knowing you’ll eat every day is not in everyone’s reach. The social and cultural issues are emotionally and intellectually complex -- this play speaks in a language that is deeply human… .and it’s surprisingly funny.
Sam Shepard said Theatre was his “natural element.” He reveled in how playwriting and acting afforded an exploration of language. He also loved the relationship between the actor and the audience: “that moment-by-moment hanging in the balance, together.”
We’ve missed you, we’ve missed creating theatre, and we thank you for being here to explore this piece of American Theatre together. If nothing else, it’s nice to be in a room together. I’ll meet you in the bar after, let’s have a whiskey? — Deana A. Duncan