Proof is an emotionally staggering play about Catherine, the daughter of an incredible mathematician and professor. The only problem is that her father has recently passed away. The main storyline revolves around Catherine struggling to tackle the pain of her father’s death in the context of her role as his primary caretaker during his struggles with a mental health breakdown.

The cast consisted of Jennifer Carpenter, ’18, as Catherine; Jack Eddy, ’17, as a former grad student of Catherine’s father, named Hal; Peyton Weber, as Catherine’s father, ‘17; and Lela Udry, ‘17, as Catherine’s sister, Claire. This story isn’t about these talented actors, however. It is about the people who worked countless hours to bring this production together. Those who broke their backs — figuratively speaking, of course — making the set or designing costumes. All of these people were under the leadership of Mr. Colin Muenster, the Theatre Director at Wahlert.

For Muenster, his role as director begins with the play itself. “Preparing for Proof was similar to most theatrical production – I look at the background of the play (the playwright, when it was written, the location, etc.) and tied them into the major themes contained within the play itself.” Along with this process, Muenster examines the characters. He has to look for the meaning in every statement and read between the lines. When doing this character analysis he also asks himself things like, “How did they get to their current points in their lives?”

To get more ideas for bringing these characters to life and off the page, Muenster looks to the cast. “The most important aspect of pulling off a play like this is our actors’ abilities to connect with their characters in an honest way, which is quite a rewarding experience, and it shows while they perform.”

Under the leadership of Muenster was Megan Reichel, ‘18. Reichel’s main job was to bring light to the stage and keep the the show alive. “It’s important because the lights help set a certain mood and setting for the scene, indicate certain events, help the actors to know when they need to be on stage, and when the crew people need to take off props and put them on,” said Reichel. Even though Reichel had an incredible time, it was still, “a very difficult, heart-wrenching show, and a lot of work was put into it to make it the show that it is.”

For the lighting of the play to make a difference, there has to be a set. Becky Meissen, ‘18, a painter of the set said, “It was a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun.” All of this work was definitely worth it as it brought to life the incredibly profound journey of Catherine through the complex relationship with and death of her father. Whether it was through the beautiful art, the set, the lights, or the characters, this play will be one to remember.