Family is the core of many cultures. Disseminated from generation to generation, obligation to family often transcends civic, vocational or even personal responsibilities. But in Communication junior Aaron Mays’ new piece, The Sons of Tennessee, the lines of family obligation are almost impossibly blurred.
The Sons of Tennessee is a two-act staged reading that deftly explores the depths of the traditional family dynamic. The plot chronicles the lives of brothers Will and Nashville Ridgeway after their father’s death.
Mays’ desire to write on community gave rise to the decision to first stage his piece as a benefit event. He wrote the script and decided to direct a four-person cast in performances that will benefit HALO, an AIDS/HIV Literacy Organization.
Aside from trying to help community through theater, Mays also concocted a fluid script that delves into the effects of illness in the family. In the aftermath of his father’s death, Will develops a mental illness – one that cripples him with anxiety attacks and a regression complex.
Communication senior Cory Gluck, who joined the cast only a week ago to play Will, says that it was difficult to get a grasp of his character.
“I looked back to my early years and tried to recapture the energy of youth and childhood,” he says. “I wanted to find the humanity in Will – to find out how I identify with him – without forgetting about family and what would I go through for them.”
But Nashville encounters an impossible crossroad – one that forces him to choose between his brother and his son. And the question emerges: “Can you really trade blood for blood?”
The Sons of Tennessee is playing at the Struble Theater, 1949 Campus Dr., Friday, April 21, and Saturday, April 22, at 8 p.m. Admission is free; however, a $3 donation to HALO is suggested.
– Michael Burgner