PAST PRODUCTIONS:
Silver Nitrate
Reviews
“The insidious subversion of art by ascendant Nazism in Germany in the early 1930's propels “Silver Nitrate,”the intelligent, absorbing, and cautionary new play by Cathy Caplan. Mingling drama, music, song and photography – as creative act and projected image–this fast moving well-acted tale is a quiet but forceful call for art to alert itself to the impact of politics. “Silver Nitrate” –the title refers to the chemical that reacts to light by coating film with darkness–is the uncommon play that illuminates the intersection of art and politics, drawing upon the past to speak to the present about the future. ”
(Lawrence Van Gelder New York Times November 5, 2003)
“The stage becomes a darkroom of sorts in playwright Cathy Caplan’s “Silver Nitrate.” The actors snap onstage photographs that duplicate historical shots–then the audience sees the results materialize before its eyes. This may sound gimmicky, but it proves to be involving and contributes greatly to the themes and stories presented. The engrossing photographic effects are mastered by technology designer Stephen Jablonsky and technical director Greg Paul.”
(Mark Dundas Wood Backstage.com November 25, 2003)
“Set in Berlin during the last days of the Weimar Republic (1930-1933), Cathy Caplan’s hypnotic expressionist drama draws on the striking imagery and mysterious technology of photography to dramatize the death of artistic innovation under totalitarian political regimes. Working from actual photographs from the period, Caplan visualizes the scenes of their creation by studio artists experimenting with the new scientific technology of the postwar era. Then, under the baleful eye of a singer giving voice to strident manifestos, she shows how easily imagination fails when artistic freedom disappears. ”
(Marilyn Stasio Variety November 11, 2003)