Interview: Savanah Hudson - "Peas, Patelin, and Purgation"
Savanah Hudson is a third-year Theatre and Entertainment Media Studies major from Temple, GA. She currently plays Perrine and Wife in Peas, Patelin, and Purgation.
Have you done devised theatre before?
Yes! Last year, I was part of the 24-hour play festival. Under the direction of Anna Pieri, we devised a 10-minute piece for the festival.
What is it like to work in a show with this kind of process?
It’s really scary and fun, amazing, and terrifying all at the same time. Because it’s farce (duh), the dialogue of the shows isn’t necessarily heightened language, but it’s still a different vernacular than what we and the audience are used to. So, we have to find a way to make the script funny through our delivery as well as using our physical bodies. There’s so much intense physicality in this show. It’s crazy.
What farces are you in? Who do you play in each farce?
I am actually in all the farces. In Peas, I play Perrine. In Patelin, I play furniture. In Purgation, I play the Wife.
Are there any challenges to creating a character and acting in this type of show?
Absolutely! Something different changes with my characters probably every week. Even in our last week of rehearsal, I’m still figuring out new things about my characters everyday. It’s definitely a challenge at trying to make my characters funny and over-the-top, but not TOO funny and TOO over-the-top in an annoying way. Also trying to figure out a way to convey that I am a character portraying a character, you know? Originally, in the 1500’s and 1600’s when these plays would be performed, a group of male lawyers would be performing these farces. So for me, I am a woman playing a man portraying a women.
If you could describe this show in a few words, then what would you say?
Kooky, nothing like you’ve ever seen before, and indescribable.
These pieces were written centuries before our time, and one has not been performed in a few hundred years! Why do you think this play is important to today? What makes it relevant?
I think it’s important because we are able to showcase these three shows from hundreds of years ago and bring them into a setting of the present. Although the language may not be the same as we use today, it’s still fun to be a part of a show that’s different than the others from this season, especially when it’s an all-female cast.
Get tickets at ugatheatre.com/threefarces - opening March 19!