The boundaries between theater and reality are what Grace Overbeke ’08 seeks to find in “The Real Thing,” written by Tom Stoppard. The play follows two couples and investigates how their adulterous relations develop in a play-within-a-play context. In all, viewers are left with an investigation of the emotional relationships between characters. We discover that they can develop from a seemingly presentational milieu to what we can define as real.
Weddings are often thought to be sanctimonious occasions uniting those with only a superficial connection, except in the case when fifty brides decide to embark on a ship on their wedding day to escape the perils of marrying cousins they barely know.
The reality and truth of a matter is often muddled with personal perceptions. We attempt to distinguish between illusions and facts, using the rational, reductive process of our mind. But sometimes we need to rid ourselves of our predispositions and desire for an ideal reality, in order to fully witness an experience.
Imagination allows us to transcend our realities. It enables us to explore even the most familiar places because we can find new significance. We delve into the past and present in order to see memories, desires, dreams, volitions, loves and fears on varying philosophical levels. “A Journey Around My Room” is a compilation of this search—an expedition into the mind of writer Xavier de Maistre.