Rebecca Thomas, Weimar Montero Candelario, Elizabeth Hood and Katherine Campbell Rossi
Try to picture a volatile political climate: opposing parties taking extreme actions, deeply entrenched ideologies ruling minds, the media going crazy, no person exempt from cruelty. Sound familiar?
Yes, I’m talking about the French Revolution. (I know, that’s exactly what you were thinking.)
Guillotines, baguettes and Hugh Jackman ballads aside, this highly romanticized period of European history carries with it an indefinite catalog of misrepresented voices. Namely, in the hidden female figures of the revolution. Who are these women? A local play aims to tell their stories.
Gamut Theatre presents “The Revolutionists” by Lauren Gunderson. This bold and witty comedy features punchy zingers, great wigs and an all-female cast and design team.
The crew is led by a fierce and fiery director, Kelli Kauterman. She believes that this story is needed now more than ever. As the first show Gamut is slated to produce this year, “The Revolutionists” opens the theatre’s season with a bang. By witnessing utterly human storytelling, unapologetic in its clear stance for human rights, audiences will be left with no choice but to respond.
“The Revolutionists” is a terrifyingly relevant story for a world where authoritarianism is rampant, freedom is tenuous, and the human voice is sacred.
But don’t worry, your evening at the theatre will not be all dour and drab. This show is a comedy. Playwright Lauren Gunderson is known for her comedic timing and witty zingers. “The Revolutionists” tackles monstrously intimidating topics through perfectly timed female zest, jabs and stabs. Yes, I said stabs. I would explain why, but I was told I could not include spoilers.
Kauterman promises the audience that they will see correlations between their world and the world of “The Revolutionists.” We, as the audience, may not all be women seeking revenge against the bourgeois of 18th century France … but we are humans trying to make sense of our world and our place in it.
“This show is about stories, and the importance of words,” Kauterman said.
Olympe De Gouges, 18th-century French playwright, wrestles with the ethics, challenges and fears of being an artist engaged with activism. She knows that her words are what will be remembered—the stories she tells are what will be documented as history.
“Don’t settle for the story that they’re giving you,” she tells her companions—and the audience.
“The Revolutionists” challenges every audience member to consider the power of their own stories and the history they can create with their own words. Now, more than ever, people need to know that their voices matter—that they have the power to champion the stories of women and every other historically silenced group. Humans are narrative-driven creatures. We make sense of the world through stories. Thus, the power of an individual’s story is mighty.
Everyone has a world. And everyone has a story. So, everyone can be a revolutionist.
“If it gets people involved in their immediate world, that would be success,” Kauterman said.
This show doesn’t require us to change the whole world. “The Revolutionists” asks every audience member to examine their world and the change they can make within it.
While “The Revolutionists” is literally about women during the French Revolution, it’s really about how we all go about changing our world.
Find people in your life that you want to share this story with. Secure your seats by purchasing tickets online at Gamut’s website. Come curious and open to hear a story that will undoubtedly challenge you to be a revolutionist in your world.
“The Revolutionists” runs Oct. 4 through Oct. 19 at Gamut Theatre, 15 N. 4th St., Harrisburg. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.gamuttheatre.org/revolutionists or call 717-238-4111.
UPCOMING EVENTS
At Gamut Theatre
www.gamuttheatre.org
717-238-4111
Gamut Theatre
“The Revolutionists”
Oct. 4 to 19
Popcorn Hat Players
“Little Red Riding Hood”
Sept. 17 to Oct. 4
“The Frog Prince”
Oct. 29 to Nov. 15
TMI Improv
Halloween Improv Show
Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m.
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