Ubuntu Theater Project starts off it’s season collaborating with acclaimed Bay Area playwright Philip Kan Gotanda in the premiere of Pool of Unknown Wonders: Undertow of the Soul. It’s a conceptual piece: abstract and non-linear. Multiple characters play different roles in each other’s lives, so it can be a test of focus. As they overlap, the stories seem to intersect; it’s clear there’s one destination, but how they got on that bus is the mystery about to unfold.
The play is staged inside the Thousand Oaks Baptist Church, an impressive yet intimate space. It’s befitting for a play that appears to be about a group of people who’ve come together in purgatory. Gigantic bay windows, wood panels, and wall to ceiling doors accent this historic building. Chairs circle a U-shaped staging area. Characters remain on the stage for the duration of the play to live out their various story arcs.
The most powerful story comes from Mrs. Bankhead, played by Dawn L. Troupe. In one situation, she’s pregnant, and the treatment she receives at the hospital is one soaked in a long history of racism at the hands of medical professionals. Several recent studies have shown that people of color receive far lesser treatment than their counterparts. Her story is an extremely topical one recounting the effects of trauma faced by African American women.
Another strong point of view is that of Sophie, a young woman who falls for a man who’s not who he says he is. Mergherita Ventura plays Sophie’s loss of innocence and eventual let down with a fervor that makes her journey captivating.
These stories are told in a way in which the audience has to string them together to make sense of them all. This play is done in a highly experimental fashion and could be confusing at times; it’s hard to keep straight who’s who. But what it does do is make you feel. It asks questions about who we are and the choices we make. There’s huge tension from start to finish, there’s forward motion, and there’s a want to connect. Sometimes it’s less about what, and more about how a story is told. We feel and connect with these characters and the unknown that they are facing. We commiserate with their uncertainty. In their cruel world, we want them to be okay.
Pool of Unknown Wonders: Undertow of the Soul runs now through September 23. For more information and pay-what-you-can subscriptions, visit www.ubuntutheaterproject.com.
