They strutted across the stage in “The Music Man,” danced the hora in “Fiddler on the Roof,” and now, Portola Valley Theatre Conservatory (PVTC) actors take a serious turn with “Proof,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by David Auburn.
The play will be presented Oct. 26 to 28 and Nov. 2 to 4 in the Lane Family Hall at Valley Presbyterian Church in Portola Valley.
“Proof” is a story about family relationships and the delicate balance between genius and madness. The cast of four will be directed by Noelle Goodman-Morris, a June graduate in theater and dance from the University of California, San Diego.
The director is the daughter of Valley Presbyterian Church’s co-ministers, Mark and Cheryl Goodman-Morris. You could say she grew up at Valley Presbyterian, since her parents were appointed to the church 20 years ago. “On the first Sunday Mark was in the pulpit, she called out ‘Daddy, Daddy,’ and ran up the aisle to him,” says Cheryl Goodman-Morris with a laugh.
Noelle Goodman-Morris, 22, is also interning at the Magic Theater in San Francisco and teaching theater classes, through PVTC, at Ormondale and Corte Madera schools in Portola Valley and at East Palo Alto Academy. A portion of the proceeds from “Proof” will be used to support the academy’s theater arts program.
“Proof” is about a brilliant mathematician who revolutionizes the math world twice with brilliant theorems by age 23. He then spends the rest of his life trying to duplicate his early success but eventually goes mad in the process.
His daughter, college-age Catherine, inherits some of her father’s genius. Eventually she decides to put her own life on hold to care for her father. After he dies, she finds she must deal with a darkly troubling question: Will her father’s fate become her own?
Amanda Selson performs the role of Catherine; Kevin Kirby is her father, Robert; Erin Hoffman is Claire, Catherine’s sister; and Nick Frangione is Hal, a former student of Robert’s.
“We picked ‘Proof” because we were really interested in finding a smaller drama that would be appropriate for the community” says Ms. Goodman-Morris. “We had seen it at TheatreWorks three or four years ago and the story stuck with us.
“This play deals with perfection, success, and grief. It also deals with loss and love, and the difficulty of balancing all of those.”
“Proof” may be familiar to movie-goers. It was made into a film in 2005, starring Gwyneth Paltrow as Catherine and Anthony Hopkins as her father.
After the performances of “Proof,” the actors and director will come back on stage to informally talk about the play with members of the audience. “We find that about one-third or so of the audience likes to stay and discuss the work they just saw,” says Cheryl Goodman-Morris, who founded PVTC in 1994. She has directed many of its productions.
Tickets for “Proof” may be purchased by calling 851-8282, ext. 411. They are $20 for adults, $10 for students. The show is recommended for high school-age students through adults.
Valley Presbyterian Church is located at 945 Portola Road.
