Carlie Shearer as William Dunn, Eva Scherrer as John Wesley Powell, Hailee Franklin as Seneca Howland, Susan Kim as O.G. Howland in The Ohio State University Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts’ production of Men on Boats. Credit: J. Briggs Cormier
Despite its name, Ohio State’s production of “Men on Boats” will be told through a unique lens, without cisgender men in its cast.
The team behind the Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts production, “Men on Boats,” explores those themes through the ensemble comedy show, Hailee Franklin, second-year in theatre and music and actor in “Men on Boats,” said. Through its commentary on themes like manifest destiny and colonization, Franklin said the play reframes a story about white men to feature a different point of view.
“It’s a comic retelling of the story of an 1869 government-sanctioned expedition through the Grand Canyon that was led by John Wesley Powell,” Beth Kattelman, theater department professor and director of “Men on Boats,” said. “Of course, in this version of the story, though, all of the men are played by either women or nonbinary performers.”
Kattelman, who has been a performance director for over 35 years, said her role is usually defined by creating a vision for a production and in bringing together all of the moving parts like with “Men on Boats,” which has been particularly special.
“I love the comedy about it. I mean, I think there’s a lot of really funny moments. I also loved the opportunities that it offers for women and nonbinary performers,” Kattelman said. “It’s great to have an ensemble with that many diverse voices.”
Throughout her experience portraying former soldier Seneca Howland, Franklin said the support from the production team has allowed for an ensemble that plays off of one another in order to tell this historically significant story, a contrast from her high school that she said lacked an appreciation for the arts.
With viewpoints as historically significant as those expressed in “Men on Boats,” Franklin said the supportive nature of the artistic team has allowed for a tight-knit cast.
“Since the first day, it felt like we all just got off on the right foot,” Franklin said. “We all can joke with each other, and we all trust each other, which I think is the biggest thing as an actor is, like, you don’t want to make certain choices as a character if you don’t trust the person who you’re with.”
Jaclyn Backhaus, the playwright behind “Men on Boats,” was inspired by the world-renowned musical “Hamilton” and its ability to retell stories of white, cisgender men who were regarded as societal icons from a different perspective. This concept led to the writing style of “Men on Boats” and showing a different lens, she said.
“I think it’s important to re-examine these stories through a different lens,” Kattelman said. “A lot of times we’ve taken for granted that a lot of these men were held up as, you know, patriots and great heroes, and I’m not saying that some of that isn’t true but, you know, by looking at those same stories through the eyes of the folks who were not at the center of the story, but were affected by what was going on, I think we can get another view of it.”
Kattelman said she loves working with undergraduate students because she can watch them create and grow within a role, and she views being a part of a production as just like any other team — it can only be successful if everyone supports one another.
“I’m really proud of the ensemble that we’ve got for this show,” Kattelman said. “I mean, they have been so willing to take the risk. Sometimes, when you’re in a performance, it’s really hard to develop the trust and to put yourself out there, and this has been a really collaborative group.”
“Men on Boats” had its first performance at the Roy Bowen Theatre in the Drake Performance and Event Center Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The last show will take place Nov. 5.
More information regarding the dates and times of the production as well as tickets can be found on the theater department website.
