The USAO Theatre Department will be debuting their latest play, The Curious Savage, April 4 and 5 at 6:30 pm in the Davis Hall Little Theater followed by a matinée performance the next afternoon, April 6 at 2:00 pm.
The Curious Savage, written in 1950, tells the story of a wealthy widow as she seeks to gift her late husband’s fortune to help others achieve their dreams. However, she finds enemies in her own stepchildren, who disapprove of her efforts. The stepchildren commit their mother to a “pleasant” sanitarium, aiming to keep the fortune for themselves. From here, we follow her journey as she navigates living in the sanitarium while fighting her stepchildren for the fortune.
Professor of Theatre Arts Katie Davis, executive director of this production, gave a preliminary warning to those planning to attend.
“The play is written in 1950. It does not have the sensibility about mental illness that we do now, it doesn’t talk about it the same way. It is not an insulting play. It is not a play about mental illness, it’s a play about how people treat each other and what we think of as normal … and why we should just be nice to each other,” Davis said.
Davis values campus community engagement and encourages students to come out and support their fellow students.
“Some of them are freshman and sophomores who are doing this for the first time,” Davis said.
Freshman theatre arts major Milo Karlin, student assistant director of the play, also urges students to attend and support their peers that have worked hard.
“And, it’s free for students,” Karlin said.
The production is also open to the community. Ticket prices are donation-based for community members, who are asked to pay what they can. Davis assures the show will be easy to watch for all ages, with certain relatabilities today despite the play being written so long ago.
“The language is funny, the characters are quirky,” Davis said.
Davis believes the audience has an enjoyable, light-hearted comedy to look forward to, and Karlin is looking forward to seeing the culmination of the students’ hard work.
Jessiekah Cook is a second-year Creative Writing major at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
