The setting of “Wheaton Words,” directed by Luke Demers ’14 and Blair Davis ’14, is one of the show’s many strengths. Enclosed in the small gallery space of the Beard and Weil Galleries in Watson Fine Arts with a capacity of 35, the audience is forced to get close to the performers’ sometimes harsh, but always poignant themes.
The show is a grouping of thirteen monologues about sex and relationships. Some are poetic, some are funny, and many are (purposefully) graphic and uncomfortable. Although you would have to ask them individually, it seems that many of the show’s writers used “Wheaton Words” as an outlet for their experiences, as some way of telling the world what they’ve been through as part of the coping process.
Many of the monologues approach relationships through the lens of introspection. In “Thirst,” writer and performer Emma Silver ’14 finds the reasons for her actions four years ago by examining both sides of what she was doing.
The show is a grouping of 13 monologues about sex and relationships. Some are poetic, some are funny, and many are (purposefully) graphic and uncomfortable. Although you would have to ask them individually, it seems that many of the show’s writers used “Wheaton Words” as an outlet for their experiences, as some way of telling the world what they’ve been through as part of the coping process.
Many of the monologues approach relationships through the lens of introspection. In “Thirst,” writer and performer Emma Silver ’14 finds the reasons for her actions four years ago by examining both sides of what she was doing.
Likewise, writer and performer 2016 Class Dean Denyse Wilhelm, comes to an understanding about an ex-husband by examining a past experience in “For that you will always have my love.”
Several monologues are unique in their style and delivery, particularly “Scowl” by writer and performer Jonathan Korns ’15. Korns is easily one of the show’s standouts; his blunt, lyrically dense writing style, which he delivers perfectly in the gallery, is highly distinctive and emotionally powerful without being excessive.
“Sex-Communicated” by Joe Nelson ’14 is another standout. Nelson is the type of writer and actor who makes you wish you could do what he does. His story of writing an article about gay students at a deeply conservative high school is highly amusing, and the emotional significance of the story hits just as you start to wonder if he’s only in it for the laughs.
The participants in Wheaton Words are writers first and foremost; students who wrote monologues were allowed to choose whether they would personally perform their monologue or not, and sometimes, it shows in the ways they tackle their performances.
Overall, the show does a good job of candidly presenting the writers’ thoughts, desires, and fears in a setting that provides for an intimate relationship with the audience.