More Beautiful Now Addresses the Possibility of Reawakening in the Face of Depression

Audiences may find it surprising that the stage design for More Beautiful Now, set in a contemporary college town in New England, is an image of an abandoned castle, but imagination is as important as reality in this work written, designed, and directed by Marla Moffa '97, a theatre arts major. The play, Moffa's thesis honors project, will take place in the Rooke Theatre Black Box March 27-30. (See the calendar for details).

<<< Senior Marla Moffa's original play, More Beautiful Now, debuts this week. Shown here are two of the play's three characters, Marissa (Tiffany Tang '97) and Keats (Tim Matos), in a scene from this imaginative production.
The three-character play tells the story of Marissa, a woman in her mid-twenties recovering from depression. The play has two levels: some of the scenes are set in reality, and others in Marissa's memory and imagination.

A simulated moat separates the audience from the set. Says Moffa: "The audience is the real world, and Marissa is in her own abandoned castle with no drawbridge. Because of her depression, Marissa has isolated herself from reality; her daydreams become a kind of addiction."

Moffa started writing the script in a playwriting class during her sophomore year, wanting to address the topic of depression. The play is the first Moffa has written at Mount Holyoke and the second one she directed here. Last year she directed the play I Can't Imagine Tomorrow by Tennessee Williams. According to Moffa, that play dwelt on the heaviness of depression: "There is no solution at the end, no hope ... you don't know what's going to happen to the characters." Moffa deals with depression in this play from a different angle. "The intention of this play is to compassionately address the topic of depression through imagery of humor and sensuality, reawakening our multiple senses of life."

One of the most important influences on Moffa's writing is Amy Guggenheim, a New York City performance artist with whom she worked in the summer of 1995 at the Ko Theater Festival in Amherst. She ran the lights for Guggenheim's one-woman show, Objects in the Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear.

Another influence is Holger Teschke, who was visiting artist in theatre arts here last fall. Moffa was one of two assistant directors for last fall's production of Georg Büchner's Leonce and Lena, directed by Teschke. She says "I learned a lot assisting Holger because he is a very talented director, and I enjoyed collaborating with him because of his enthusiasm and passion for his work." After graduation, Moffa plans to take the time to get professional theater experience. She eventually wants to go to graduate school, possibly in England, where she spent a semester studying.

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