The First VUT Play of the Season
Tonight, I attended opening night of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead performed by Vanderbilt University Theater. I try to go to as many plays as I can but I made a special effort to attend this one for two reasons. First, later in this semester, I will be reading the play in one of my classes. Second, two of the actors in the play are in that same class.
For those of you who don’t know, (I definitely didn’t), the play is about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who are two minor characters in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It is an existentialist tragicomedy that follows these two men on their journey. There is no clear setting and at times the characters cannot even remember their names. It was confusing, but surprisingly hilarious.
One of my favorite classes of the semester is called Don Quixote and Experimental Fiction. In it, we are analyzing Don Quixote and other examples of experimental fiction. My professor, who avidly supports VUT, chose Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead as the dramatic representation of experimental fiction so we will be reading and discussing the play in about a month. Coincidentally, Rosencrantz, himself, as well as one of the other characters are in my class. So by going to the play, I gained background for class and I got to support my peers. My professor was also there to support his students, which I think was incredibly kind.
I always enjoy VUT shows because they rarely perform mainstream theater. I am by no means a theater aficionado, so I have hardly ever heard of the plays before I see them. I actually like this, though. I am always blown away by the acting and intellectually challenged by the plots. The best part about the plays is that they are free for undergrads. I really can’t think of a better way to spend my Thursday night!
