Wet: female pirates and a tilting set
shake up Minor main stage

by Arianne Bergman '13
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT CONTRIBUTOR

 It’s not every day that you can stump a team of MIT graduate students with a design problem. Even more remarkable is when you solve it yourself, which is exactly what a team of Hamilton students did in their set design for this semester’s main stage production: Wet, or Isabella the Pirate Queen Enters the Horse Latitudes.

At this year’s United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) Conference in Charlotte, NC, Hamilton students took home the trophy in the Jack Suesse Memorial “Stump the Rigger” Competition for their design work on Wet.

The show is worth seeing if for no other reason than the set. The stage slants down towards the audience, echoing back to the since-forgone theatrical tradition of a raked stage, where the back end of the stage is higher than the front end. Set designer Andrew Holland also said that the stage was angled in such a way because it is “important to telling the story that everything was a little off-kilter” as the play presents various worldviews. The moving stage and changing cloud lighting on the backdrop create the feeling of time passing, and the choice to have a constant soundtrack of ship noises brings the show to life.

Wet, as it is cordially known, is Liz Duffy Adams’s story of three sailors and their captain drifting on their sinking vessel in the aftermath of a storm, and the three female pirates who board the ship. Adams spins her story out of these characters’ narratives, providing the outlines for fascinating roles.

Unfortunately, the acting was not as amazing as the design. During several moments, especially in the numerous monologues, the actors seemed to merely be reciting a set of lines rather than really acting or playing a character. At other times, the acting was a bit overdone.

The cast did have good chemistry, however, and worked off each other well. There was genuine tenderness, and it was relatable—Ryan Park ’12 had one such touching moment, as did Ilse Zoerb ’11 and Kadahj Bennett ’12.

Andrew Jillings, director of Outdoor Leadership, also played a role by helping set-up the rigging and flying apparatus. Said Holland: “Rigging in theaters is descended from the rigging on ships—old stage hands were originally sailors. The tie-in between sailing and theater was really fun to explore and exploit. I wish we could’ve explored that more—been able to sort of really come at it rather than it having it merely be a by-product…the exposed rigging is very nautical but also very theatrical.”

If you glance over the moments of lesser acting, the show is worth the $3 and 90 minutes you spend. “It has so many layers and is about finding a place where there are only peaceable interactions. The show is about acceptance of your true emotions and about giving in to your intuition and desires,” said Lauren Lanzotti ’14. “I think that everyone will be able to find something relatable in this show. Also, the show weaves back and forth between racy humor and touching upon sad truths, and the dynamic script really makes it an enjoyable and unique experience.”

Stage manager Kathleen Conners ’13 suggested that audience members listen carefully to the script. “The lines themselves are very interesting, and the show is very witty…if you aren’t paying attention, all of the best humor will pass you by.” Lanzotti echoed that, advising audiences to see it twice in order to fully understand the humor and morality of the play. Holland believes that just about anyone would get something out of the show, unless “you’re hoping for something turgid and stressful. This will not be that.”