Steven Pearson and Robyn Hunt's play, “Flight,” chronicles the poignant journey and triumph of two women attempting to gain spiritual freedom through aviation in France during the early 20th century.
Pearson and Hunt, who are University of South Carolina professors, created "Flight" as a part of the Center for Performance Experiment. The play follows two young French women as they build a plane and attempt to escape the confines of a patriarchal society. The title “Flight” has two meanings — one being the actual flying that the characters are passionate about, and the second being the freedom and escape from societal problems of the early 20th century.
A major standout of the production was the quality of both scenery and props. The play didn’t change sets often nor did it add additional props. Instead, it had characters slowly build a full-sized airplane on stage as the play progressed. I was awed when the plane was finished and the massive wooden skeleton of an aircraft sat on stage.
The production also showcased its experimental nature by having characters pull themselves into the air by ropes to simulate flight. This created a very lively setting where characters could move around and read lines from the sky instead of the floor.
There were also many moments where characters would act in an impressionistic manner in order for the complex themes to come to life. In one instance, the three female characters Madeleine (Gabriela Castillo), Sophie (Kimberly Gaughan) and Alisse (Robyn Hunt) danced in sync to illustrate the concepts of flight and freedom. Conveying these ideas physically gave the production a more personal, emotional and abstract meaning.
The true highlight of the production, however, was the acting.
Actresses Gabriela Castillo and Kimberly Gaughan illustrate the passionate yet conflicted young women with such excellence that they fully absorb the audience into the show. Their performance was so personal and raw that it evoked feelings of passion, excitement and fear through their journey.
Overall, “Flight” illustrates the struggles that women faced, and still face, regarding societal standards and restrictions. Through the innovative prop usage, impressionistic dancing and expressive acting, the production effectively illustrates the concepts of freedom and passion, thus creating an impact on audience members — myself included.