I did not know what to expect out of this trip, especially since I had never been to the Macaulay building before, yet I was pleasantly surprised by how much I learned from both the playwright and actors involved. The overall tone of the play seemed to change in this cast reading. It felt more serious with the way Mary’s lines were read out; I believe the live version more accurately embodies the message conveyed about the expectations of women during the time. The inspiration for the play was much different from what I had originally inferred. I like how the playwright used an originally lighthearted hoax to create a much more serious work that explores themes of gender roles and the treatment of women in 18th century society. I agree wholeheartedly with what Steve said about the growing inaccessibility of theater and admire his grassroots organizing of productions, which not only reaches out to the general public, but also smaller artists in the field.

More than the discussion of the play itself, I found the tangential advice that the actors gave about pursuing art while having a career in another field to be very insightful. I love creating art, but chose to major in biology because I knew when applying to college that art is not a financially viable path for me to devote myself to. It was refreshing to hear that everyone involved in this production also had a day job either related or unrelated to theater since there is often this expectation to commit to your art as an artist. That being said, I still am pursuing a career in biology for the love of the subject, and this discussion reassured me that balancing my interests in both art and STEM is possible.

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