Freefall Productions and the New Theatre are set to bring David Auburn’s brilliant workProof to the stage come July. An intelligent and raw exploration of family, genius, love and mental illness, Proof won the Pulitzer Prize for drama, cementing its status as a pivotal 21st century work.
Aristotle’s exhortation that “No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness” has inspired countless discussions and creative exploration. Geniuses are held up in frightful glory, in the throes of the burden of their ‘gift’. Auburn’s work may have so immeaurably gripped audiences due to its nuanced and intimate look into a case of genius and its effects in a family unit.
The story centers around Catherine, after having cared for her brilliant and unstable father, is left to pick up the pieces after he passes away. Not only does she have to go through his countless notebooks and the scrawl that they contain, but contend with her own fears as to the thread of genius and instability that she may have inherited.
Bold and vulnerable, Auburn’s work is to be handled with professional and creative flair from a creative team who has poured experience, insight and verve into this production.
Proof plays at the New Theatrefrom Wednesday July 13 until Saturday July 30.
