Love and Information, a play by Caryl Churchill, will be performed in the Flex Theatre, Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, November 17th and Saturday, November 18th at 7:30pm.
As described by Senior Lecturer Carolyn Goelzer, ‘Love and Information’ is “a kaleidoscopic series of scenes that address the ways we seek, filter, process, dismiss, and question information, and how this affects our human need, ability, and capacity to love.” Students enrolled in the class PMA: 3801 Advanced Techniques in Acting will be performing in an abridged version of the production under the guidance of Goelzer. The performance will be put on with the support of PMA’s faculty driven design team: contributions by the faculty include an original set, costuming, media, and sound design for the production.
Since its publication and subsequent premiere in 2012, Love and Information has been widely regarded as an experimental work of theatre which takes audiences on a journey. At its core, the flexible nature of the play allows interpreters to create the imaginary circumstances and sequence of events in the play’s collection of scenes that help audiences wend their way through its unusual narrative content and structure. This production of Love and Information features over 60 characters in 30+ unique scenes.
‘Love and Information’ aims to encourage audiences to think about the way information can shape our behaviors and relationships with one another. The show’s use of projected images and recorded soundscapes work to provoke thought surrounding the ways that technology has changed the way information is received and processed. The show explores the intersection between love, information, and the human behaviors that result when fragmented bits of information come into focus from a wide range of disparate means and sources.
The way information is framed becomes part of the narrative; the actors, who have worked to create characters and situations in response to Churchill’s open text, play with the different ways information is communicated in a series of ever-changing formats. When reliable, Information helps create a cohesive picture to drive actions. What happens, however, when the accumulation of information is altered in some way, whether in a neurological sense or as the result of social engineering? If this intrigues you, ‘Love and Information’ is a show which will allow you to explore the sociological questions concerning human relationships and the challenges that society faces when using different sources of information.
LOVE AND INFORMATION is recommended for mature audiences. Sexual situations, implied violence, and recorded gunshot sounds are contained in this production.
This event is free and open to the public.
To reserve a free ticket, visit https://pma.cornell.edu/tickets.
“Love and Information” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
Performances will take place on Friday, November 17th and Saturday, November 18th at 7:30pm. The play’s location will be the Flex Theatre in the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts (430 College Ave, Ithaca NY).
Listen to a PMA Podcast "Episode 49: Love and Information."
Amy Mojica ‘26 is a communications assistant for the department of Performing and Media Arts.
