'Proof' Coming to Utah State University

Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play Proof by David Auburn premieres in the Chase Fine Art Center’s Black Box Theatre on the Utah State University campus Thursday, Sept. 22, with a  7:30 p.m. curtain time.

“Proof is one of those satisfying plays dealing with the intimacy of everyday life,” said Adrianne Moore, the play’s director and faculty member in USU’s Theatre Arts Department. “In this case, the struggles of family relationships, personal identity and big picture issues such as the intersection between brilliance and madness resonate throughout the production.”

First produced in 2000, Proof hit Broadway and won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a Tony Award for Best Play.

“It is part of the theatre arts department’s mission to do recent plays because we feel it’s important that students have an appreciation for new works as well as the classics,” said Moore.

The central character in Proof is a girl named Catherine, played by USU theater student Felicia Stehmeier. Catherine has just laid her mathematician father to rest after suffering a long-term mental illness. Robert, Catherine’s father, played by professional actor Kent Hadfield, was once a gifted professor but, as his illness progressed, he was no longer able to work as a mathematical genius.

The audience quickly learns that Catherine herself is brilliant, but Catherine worries she might possess the same mental illness that destroyed her father. To make things harder, her older sister, Claire, played by USU theater student Nikki Baum, wants to send her to New York to an institution if necessary. Catherine is soon torn when Robert’s old student, Hal, portrayed by USU theater student Adam Earl, discovers a pad of paper filled with profound calculations in Robert’s desk. Hal assumes the work is Robert’s but, in reality, Catherine wrote the mathematical proof; however, no one believes her. Now Catherine must prove the proof is hers.

“There are only a few roles in this play but they are all extremely challenging and provide a great opportunity for the juniors and seniors to take on intense, serious characters in an intimate environment,” said Moore. “The characters are complex and while their experiences are accessible to the actors, these roles demand considerable craft and technical skill.”

The student members of the cast are enthusiastic about the opportunity to perform in the contemporary work.

“Everyone should come see Proof because it is very relatable and has a wonderful storyline,” said Nikki Baum. “Utah State Theatre doesn’t get an opportunity to perform a play this brilliant very often so we are very excited to be a part of this.”

Proof runs Sept. 22-24 and Sept. 26-Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $13 for adults, $10 for seniors and youth, $8 for faculty and staff and free for USU students with ID. For more information and tickets visit the CCA Box Office located in room 139-B of the Chase Fine Arts Center on USU’s campus, call 435-797-8022 or online.

Proof contains strong language and is not recommended for children under the age of 13.

Related links:

USU Theatre Arts Department

USU Caine College of the Arts

Writer: Rachelle Nielson, (435) 797-9203, rachelle.nielson@usu.edu

Contact: Denise Albiston, (435) 797-1500, denise.albiston@usu.edu