by Blythe Ford, Messenger Staff Writer

Next week, a new production begins at the University of the South’s Proctor Hill Theatre in the Tennessee Williams Center. “The Moors” by Jen Silverman, directed by Ivy Francis Moore, C’26, will run from Wednesday, Feb. 25 through Sunday, March 1. The play is a dark comedy inspired by Victorian novels such as the work of the Brontë sisters, and follows the events that ensue when the isolated lives of two sisters and their dog are interrupted by the introduction of a governess and a moorhen.

“The Moors” is, on the surface, a humorous play about quirky and strange characters, but with a dark undertone. The humor comes from the unexpected interruption to a frankly miserable existence: two sisters living alone with their downtrodden dog in a manor in a remote and barren setting, one sister cowed by the other, and neither truly able to function as the people they know themselves to be. The arrival of first a governess given a mysterious invitation by the sisters’ absentee brother, and then a stranded moorhen with a broken wing, introduces situations that neither of the two sisters nor even the dog knows how to handle. It is those situations that bring forth unexpected outbursts and emotional conflict, exposing the effects of isolation and oppression on each of the characters. In the words of the director, Ivy Francis Moore: “The bursts of passion that occur in the show are fleeting moments of vulnerability and lead to disaster due to the characters' limited worldviews.” As amusing as that disaster may sometimes be, the play also lays bare the real life consequences of long term violence and loneliness. As Moore pointed out, “it asks the audience to listen to the changing world around them and break out of their self-centered bubbles.”

Moore presented “The Moors” as an option for his senior project and honors thesis; the play was ultimately selected due to “its intimate setting, literary basis, and female-focused story,” which Moore felt was particularly fitting for Sewanee. Moore has spent his four years at the University directing smaller productions, including last year’s “Twelfth Night” in Angel Park. When asked if there is anything he would like to point out to the audience about the stylistic choices of “The Moors,” he explained that the set and costuming choices balance “realism and ‘historical accuracy’ and more creative, strange, and expressionistic choices,’” citing the extreme desolation of the moors and the costumes of the animal characters as examples. Combined with the play’s premise and plot, these choices create a separation from reality even as they expose truths about it.

Join any audience next week to enjoy a laugh and a thought-provoking experience; “The Moors” will be performed on Wednesday, Feb. 25 through Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 1 at 2:30 p.m. All performances will be in the Proctor Hill Theatre in the Tennessee Williams Center in Sewanee. Free tickets at <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-moors-tickets-1981449908014>.