Testing reaches out to crowd

First time playwright junior Dana Hayden's "Testing" was proof that good things come in small packages. In some ways it had the all-too common markings of Oberlin student theater; it was one act with a very short run, put up with a very small budget, utilizing minimal set and lighting design. In more ways, however, it had something that most student theater severely lacks, in its sense of reality and honesty, in its ability to deal with complex issues in a way that was compassionate and direct, and its overwhelming warmth of spirit.

At its center, "Testing" dealt with many issues that were very evident to the lives of its audience: the difficulties of college romance, the struggle of racism in our society, and the grief of losing one's parents. But essentially, it is also a play about love.

"Mad love in an urban experience is not always portrayed [in theater], so I hope my play about it makes you think, makes a person realize that its there," said Hayden.

These are the issues that Arizona (sophomore Rosa Hyde) strives to understand throughout the work. Though it seems like a mountain of material to cover in a relatively short work, the success of "Testing" rested on the foundation of Hyde's delivery of a solid script. Presented with conviction and confidence, Hyde acted many difficult scenes with an intensity that was never forced. But she was one of a corps of strong actors.

"I put my faith in a higher power to help me gather such brave resourceful people."

The script itself should not be overlooked. Though at times the script tended toward the sentimental, the overall quality was very high, offering very realistic characters who deal with difficult situations with poetic simplicity. There were many moments when the dialogue was treated with a wonderful amount of attention. Arizona's telling of her mother's death was a particularly clear moment: "I loved my momma so much that she was my sun. It will never be summer again."

Worthy of mention was the performance of Oberlin College maintenance worker Ronnie Bowens, as Arizona's father. The scene where he tells Arizona of her mother's death was perhaps the most challenging section of the work for any actor, and Bowens was absolutely believable.

As a college senior with an uncertain future and a confusing love life, Arizona's struggle to deal with her mother's death comes at a particularly difficult time. Constantly being approached by men who use sympathy as a way to engage her romantically, Arizona has few sources of true consolation. The parade of different men provide commentary on a wide range of social issues, including that of domestic abuse, sexism, and the shadow drugs cast on urban life. Between Johnnie (first-year Jason Tompkins), Pete (sophomore Tyrone Rogers) and Rahim (first-year Keith Lawrence), Arizona is left with few options.

All of these men did their roles justice, acting hard parts with consistency and effortlessness. These men were intense without being unbelievable. A list of the strong points would be long, but Rogers' part was especially well acted.

In the end Arizona does find love, with former boyfriend Del, played by first-year Stefon Thomas. Over the short course of the play Thomas was able to act the transformation of his character from a smooth-talking ex-boyfriend to a legitimate partner for Arizona, in a way that was both disarming and realistic. His eventual union with Arizona at the end of the play was much more than a fairy tale happy ending. It was a statement about the resilience of love and its ability to overcome the difficulties of life.

The stage design, though simple, was well handled by junior stage manager Kimberly Clarke. If the strength of this play rests on the foundation of solid casting, Clarke can also be held responsible.

"I am pleased with the way everything turned out and am so happy to have such love between us," said Hayden. "This is the thing I love about theater, and the thing I love about love... I tried to portray this in my play...is that my people, my black people who have such a hard time in life, and so much more so than most other people in this world, need to support each other and hold one another up."

And what "Testing" holds up is not limited to the confines of what we consider student theater. What Hayden has done with "Testing" is to create a project more impassioned and ambitious than many. If she was "Testing," she has passed.