Cast Member Reflects on 'Proof,' to Be Staged on Campus This Weekend

Published 11.15.2006

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This week, Student Activities will present its first in a series of three plays to be produced during the 2006-07 academic year: "Proof," by David Auburn, kicks off the season at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the ACC Auditorium. Admission is free. PCToday continues a weeklong reflection by cast members, today offering insight from Amanda LeClair.

Award-winning drama to be presented twice this weekend."There's definitely a message I want people to get out of 'Proof' follow your dreams and never give up, no matter what battles you have to overcome in life, because the people around you will try their hardest to help you reach your goals."

That message is what has driven Amanda LeClair through the past few months of rehearsals, taking on what can arguably be considered one of the hardest female roles in modern theatre, Catherine in "Proof."

A fourth-year student, with an associate degree in dental hygiene and working toward a bachelor's in applied health sciences, Amanda is no stranger to the stage. She has been dancing in recitals since she was 2, and performs any chance she gets, even if there isn't a stage around. Last year, in "The Vagina Monologues," Amanda took on her first role in acting and was hooked on the theatre world instantly.

"The hardest part of the show has been memorizing my lines. I'm in every scene but one. The first time I ever acted was in 'The Vagina Monologues,' but it just doesn't compare to this role. I'm honored to participate in such a beautiful show as such an intense character with emotions like a roller coaster. But, as with most first experiences, there are a lot of frustrations that I haven't been afraid to battle."

"Amanda has overcome this character many times over. I love working withher because she doesn't have a background in theatre. She doesn't overanalyze the character; she makes Catherine very real," commented student director Kevin A. Hickman. "It really has been my pleasure working with her and this entire cast and seeing how they have interpreted each character."

"My character, Catherine, is an independent woman in certain aspects. But her sister and father are right in that she needs to gather herself and get back into the swing of things and not waste so much talent she started to throw away. I feel that, no matter how much she disagrees with her sister, deep down somewhere, she knows she is right, but her approach to helping does no charm."

New York magazine has said, "Proof" is about family relationships and responsibilities, about love and guilt and vulnerability and trust and death and loss. It deals with the big issues, but it keeps them on a human scale and maintains a sense of humor in the process."

Student Activities is sponsoring this production, which opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the ACC Auditorium and continues at the same time there Saturday. Doors open at 7 p.m. each night. Admission is free.