By: Giselle Rodriguez
The beginning of a new school year has Brooklyn College (BC) students excited, not only about the improved cafeteria, but also about the new plays emerging from the Theater Department.
“The Revolutionists” is a new play directed by graduate student Colleen Morgen, about four women living during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, which explores themes such as feminism, equality, sexism, and racism. The tone shifted from dramatic to expressive humor very quickly and effectively to keep the audience engaged. With such a relevant topic, it brings discourse to the current political climate and what further steps should be taken as a leader. To take action against authority suggests doing so by all means necessary. Played by a mix of BFA and MFA students, it was an amazing performance that brought laughter and gasps from the crowd. The main characters are all based on real figures who made an impact that is remembered, with the play’s ensemble walking the audience through 1793.
The 2-hour play begins with Olympe de Gouges, a playwright documenting the revolution, and Marianne, a mother who left her family to be a revolutionist. Charlotte Corday is fueled by anger to kill Jean-Paul Marat, a journalist who advocated for dictatorship. Lastly, Marie Antoinette enters in a large, tall wig and a sparkly gown that draws eyes to her. All with the intention to have Olympe write them in her play in a memorable way. Charlotte is described as a beautiful woman who can get her way. She uses this to her advantage, catching the attention of Marat and luring him into her deceit. An unexpected bond between Marianne’s and Marie Antoinette’s intimate scene, where both become vulnerable when they speak about their families and partners, the love and loss they share because they are more alike than different. When they first met, Marie actually mistook Marianne for a slave/servant.
Though the central message of the play is activism, it is interwoven with themes of womanhood and femininity. These women take matters into their own hands when themes of violence and vigilantism are brought up, when conducting a successful revolt; protests aren’t enough to get their message across.
The period piece sheds light on contemporary issues as it was written by Lauren Gunderson, initially commissioned in 2015, and the final play was completed in 2016. This was a response to President Donald Trump’s first political campaign, which ran on a platform of mass deportations, repealing and replacing Former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act (ACA), and giving tax cuts to businesses, mostly corporations, which added to the national debt.
Gunderson is a playwright who has built a niche with historical activism plays that prioritize female leads, such as “Ada and the Engine,” “Artemisia,” and “Silent Sky.”
“What was a hopeful revolution for the people is now sinking into hyper violent hypocritical male rhetoric. However will modern audiences relate.” Gunderson wrote in the synopsis.
Morgen was quickly persuaded to direct this piece as her thesis because of its political relevance. She wanted to create a body of art that would evoke feelings and discourse on the current administration.
“It would feel so disingenuous to be doing a piece right now that isn’t politically motivated,” said Morgen.
Morgen is a Brooklyn College alumna who graduated in 2021 with her B.A. in Theater and returned to complete her master’s last fall. She has been directing ever since, as well as dabbling in other areas such as house managing, ushering, and everything in between.
Morgen explained that the cast has been unpredictable, presenting the comedic material in ways that stunned the director herself at each rehearsal.
The crew keeps a cheerful environment with body check-ins, body scans, and warm-up games to keep spirits high.
With the help of many undergraduate students, a part of the crew, Morgen called them her “dream team across the contact sheet.”
When reflecting on the show, Morgen shared the following sentiments about her work.
“Working on the show during everything that’s been happening in the past few months, the show has only gotten more and more relevant to what today’s society is looking like. It’s a good place to come together.”