Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes November 16 – 20.
Performances will be in The Barber Theatre of the Cunningham Theatre
Center on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 17, at 7:30
p.m., Friday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m.,
and Sunday, Nov. 20, at 2 p.m. General admission is $8, $5 for
faculty, staff, and seniors, and $4 for students. Tickets can be
purchased by calling 704-894-2135 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at www.davidson.edu/tickets
<http://www.davidson.edu/tickets>. The play is recommended for ages 12
and up.
The play, set at the turn of the 20th century, chronicles the
ruination of an esteemed southern family whose members place more
importance on money than blood ties. The Hubbard siblings attempt to
strike a deal with a Chicago businessman to build a cotton mill, but
greed, corruption, and familial backstabbing get in the way. The
play's title is taken from a biblical verse in the Song of Solomon
that reads, "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the
vines: for our vines have tender grapes."
Director Kia Hunter '12 will focus on the feminist issues in the play.
The play's central character is Regina Giddens, a Hubbard sibling who
must convince her ailing husband to take part in the business deal.
Regina may come off as conniving and manipulative, but Hunter aims to
highlight the male power struggles Regina is fighting against.
"It's really easy to blame Regina more than her brothers, but
considering the time period, Regina isn't left with many options,"
said Hunter. "She's forced into a loveless marriage, oppressed by both
her husband and her brothers. Modern audiences often make snap
judgments about characters, and we're definitely still susceptible to
reverting back to stereotypes."
Christine Noah '14, who plays Regina, aims to make her character more
sympathetic. "Regina is a cold character who is the antagonist of the
play, but there's more to her than that," said Noah. "She wants people
to respect her. I've worked to make her more human, and I want to
emphasize how she is forced to operate within oppressive power
structures."
Hunter says the staging will reflect the feminist focus of the play.
Wooden beams that resemble a birdcage surround the Giddens' living
room, where much of the action takes place, and thus highlight the
confinement that the female characters especially must endure.
Creative blocking enhances the caged-in effect. The male characters
move freely about the stage while the female characters are largely
restricted to the cage structure. Female costumes will include
corsets, feathers and lace, further adding to the metaphor of a caged
bird.
The play's drama comes from the family dynamics rather than intense
action, which presented a bit of a challenge for the actors. "We have
to look very closely at the language to figure out exactly what our
characters are saying and what motivates them," Noah said. "The
writing is fabulous; there are lines that will give you chills."
Hunter added, "It's a wordy play – no fight scenes – but it's
powerful, and the end of each act hits you hard." said Hunter. "The
play's focus on the family is what drew me to direct it. I love family
plays. Family dynamics speak to everyone."
In addition to Noah in the role of Regina, The Little Foxes cast
includes Davidson students Timmy Basista '15, Kelvin Bates '12, Chris
Blanchard '14, Connor Hubbard '13, Amos McCandless '14, Megan Pratt
'13, Ally Rice '12, Maddie Saidenberg '15 and Patrick Scully '12.
Kaylin Gess '12 designed the lighting.
Davidson is a highly selective independent liberal arts college for
1,900 students located 20 minutes north of Charlotte in Davidson, N.C.
Since its establishment in 1837 by Presbyterians, the college has
graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently regarded as one of
the top liberal arts colleges in the country. Through The Davidson
Trust, the college became the first liberal arts institution in the
nation to replace loans with grants in all financial aid packages,
giving all students the opportunity to graduate debt-free. Davidson
competes in NCAA athletics at the Division I level, and a longstanding
Honor Code is central to student life at the college.
###
