Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto

THE HUMAN CONDITION

What distinguishes humanity from other forms of life? How and why have we survived the ice age? Floods and other calamities? War? Will we continue to do so in the future? The Thespians, with the help of playwright Thornton Wilder, will think about these questions in March.

When and Where:

Monday, March 12, at 7 pm in Room10
Tuesday, March 27, at 7 pm in Room 9

What: THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH by Thornton Wilder
Who: UUCPA Thespians
Why: To think about how’s and why’s as we read a challenging prize-winning play.

Most plays tell a story. We meet the characters, see them get into a predicament, and find out how the predicament is resolved. This is the pattern of most plays we have read, whether the play is tragic (The Crucible), comic (The Solid Gold Cadillac), dramatic (Bus Stop), or combinations thereof (Crimes of the Heart). But Skin of our Teeth is different.

It’s more like painting pictures than telling stories. The scene is a current New Jersey suburb — but at the same time it is the ice age, or the great flood, or a World War. In addition, the characters sometimes step outside of the play and are themselves. The theme of the play — or the picture — is that humanity is something special. Calamities may bend us but they won’t break us. We will survive and go on to better things, even if only “By the skin of our teeth!”

Obviously, it will be a challenge to read this play. Do you dare to accept the challenge? We did it 5 years ago, and I think we can do it. Anyhow, it will be fun to try. So come join us on, March 12 or 27. To make a reservation, call me or send an email to thespians-info@uucpa.org. Or just show up promptly at 7 pm.

UUCPA Thespians

Philip Hodge, Chair