1/3/2018
Every week on the Trinity Rep blog we have a quick note, thought, idea, or message from our Arthur P. Solomon and Sally E. Lapides Artistic Director, Curt Columbus. Join us each week for the newest post in “To my friends, from Curt.”
I’ve been thinking about the nature of comedy, watching George Brant’s hilarious new play, Into the Breeches, in its first week of rehearsal. I believe it was Mark Twain who was first quoted as saying, “Humor is tragedy plus time.” What’s great about George’s play is that he sets it during World War II and uses the distance provided by time to address issues from today – women’s inequality, identity politics, what we owe to those who fight for us. With this distance, we are able to approach these subjects with humor, perhaps taking a deeper dive into discussions around them than we might normally dare.
I’ve heard a lot of people talking about how 2017 was a hard year for them, and that they are looking forward to laughing more in 2018. I know that this laughter does not need to be disconnected from dealing with the things that plague our society right now. In fact, maybe by laughing harder together, we can get more done together.