Eastern Student Hanna Madler of South Windsor Performs in Theatre Production

2015 Oct 23

Hanna Madler of South Windsor performed in Eastern Connecticut State University's production of the award-winning contemporary play, "Pornography" by Simon Stephens. The play, which was put on by the Performing Arts Department and Drama Society, was performed in Eastern's Harry Hope Theater from Oct. 6-11.

The production provided audience members with an eerie and extraordinary portrait of the events of July 7, 2005, in London, England, when several bombs went off in the London transport system, killing 56 people including the four bombers. The themes of home-grown terrorism, the effects of a consumerist culture, and the alienation and objectification of individuals were only a few of the themes portrayed in the production.

"This play allowed us the opportunity to explore sensitive, controversial and relevant topics, such as home-grown terrorism, that plague our society" said director David Pellegrini, professor of theatre.

The play's script is unique in that the director receives a manuscript with all of the characters' lines, but can rearrange them in any way they want. "Having the ability to rearrange the lines made for a one-of-kind performance of this production," said Pellegrini.

Hanna Madler, an accounting and theater major, pushed herself to take on new and interesting roles in this production, both acting in the ensemble as well as taking on the duties of a design assistant. "I have acted and designed costumes before but never both simultaneously. It was a great learning experience to sit in on production meetings and be a part of rehearsals as well," said Madler. "Having someone in the cast who works on costumes can help the designer better understand what the director wants out of the show, which is a unique angle to work with."