On April 11, The Hypothetical Company (THC) premiered their debut production of Hurricane Diane, written by Madeleine George and reinterpreted for the Bryn Mawr stage.
Hurricane Diane imagines the Greek God Dionysis incarnated as Diane (Meenakshi Thirumurti ‘24) , a permaculture gardener “dripping with Butch charm” and hell-bent on reinstating the Cult of Dionysus in a small New Jersey cul-de-sac. Her would-be followers are four neighborhood housewives: Beth (Lee Cheeseman ‘27), Renee (Roma Sarathi ‘25), Pam (Kristiana Quiett ‘27, ), and Carol (Sofia Azuara ‘25), who attempt to resist her seduction, with varying degrees with success.
Hurricane Diane was performed in Arnecliffe, Bryn Mawr College’s free-use artistic space, outfitted with homemade set pieces and and free-hanging black curtains to divide onstage from backstage. A modest but dedicated crowd full of friends and family of the cast and crew filled the seats and floor at one end of the space. Despite the limited budget, THC sought to set themselves apart with a unique approach to communal theater, highlighting the artistic efforts of the entire cast and crew. Stage Manager Sunny Lucal ‘25 distributed both a typical show program and a zine-style program that featured collages made by the company.
At its core, Hurricane Diane is a story about desire for, and resistance to, change. This particular staging focuses on the relationship between land and the people who inhabit it, prompting its audience to imagine themselves in the world the show creates. In the pre-show announcements, Director Sachiko Bower ‘25 acknowledged Pennsylvania’s occupation of unseated Lenape territory, adding “As you watch this play, we urge you to think about your relationship to the land and your position as an occupying settler.”
Co-Presidents Roma Sarathi ‘25 and Sachiko Bower ‘25 started THC this year with the goal of intentionally highlighting the contributions of BIPOC to the dramatic arts. Sachiko said “We noticed there was a real lack of theater spaces on campus for what we wanted to do. I wanted to find a theater space that didn’t feel isolated from the rest of the community. I wanted it to be something that would invite people in rather than shut people out.”
Both cast and crew were adamant that the project live on after its three day run. “I hope that the impact will stay with me forever,” says Meenakshi Thirumurti. “I want to identify with Diane’s radical hope.” “The deeper we got into the project, the more I saw how real it was on this campus, and how much I noticed people unwilling to try something outside of their comfort zone,” added Sachiko. “It means alot to have people invest in this project that is so special.” “
