By STU CLAMPITT
news@readthereporter.com
How responsible are we for the lives around us? That is one of the main questions presented in the Hyperion Players’ production of An Inspector Calls, staging for one weekend only, Sept. 12 to 15, at The Switch Theatre, located inside the Ji-Eun Lee Music Academy at 10029 E. 126th St., Fishers.
Set in 1912 in a fictional British town, An Inspector Calls is about the unexpected arrival of Inspector Goole at the prosperous Birling family home on the evening of a dinner party meant to be a celebration of Sheila Birling’s engagement to her boyfriend, Gerald Croft.
The peace and joy of this dinner party is shattered by Goole’s arrival to investigate the death of a young working-class woman.
Hyperion Director Nicole Amsler has assembled a talented cast of seven to bring audiences a tale of drama and intrigue with an ending you may be talking about long after the play is over.
According to Amsler, Eva Smith took her own life in a disturbing manner and Inspector Goole is investigating how each member of the Birling family may have pushed her to do so.
Eva’s life took one unfortunate turn after another, and according to Inspector Goole, she went by multiple names at different stages of that tragic life. To some present she was Eva Smith. To others she was Daisy Renton.
As each person is questioned and the unfortunate life of Eva/Daisy is revealed, she will appear to audiences in a form that is so uncommon in community theater that it may be unique.
“The character who has died (Eva Smith / Daisy Renton) is frequently referenced but never seen,” Amsler told The Reporter. “In this production, we will be using shadow puppetry to tell her untold story.”
According to Amsler, there is a long history of representing death and the dead with shadow puppets.
Shadow puppetry is used to tell the story of the character Eva / Daisy, who has died. (Photo provided)
That history goes back at least to Pi Ying Xi, one of the oldest kinds of drama in China. Pi Ying Xi is said to have its roots in the Han Dynasty in 200 B.C. when Emperor Han Wudi was distraught over the death of his beloved, the Empress. An advisor supposedly invented shadow puppetry as a way to let the emperor see his lost love through shadows.
“It is considered a laborer’s artform, resonating with farmers and manual laborers who could only indulge in art in the evenings,” Amsler said. “Puppetry sees reality while the audience sees illusion. European revolutions were often accompanied by underground puppet shows that raised awareness about the disparity of wealth and equality.”
Thus, it is a fitting way to show Eva/Daisy in the Hyperion Players’ production of An Inspector Calls.
But why did Eva/Daisy take her own life?
Was it Arthur Birling’s callous disregard for anything other than profit? Was it Sheila Birling’s casual cruelty to a young woman working in a clothing store? Could it have been Gerald Croft’s or Eric Birling’s ill-fated affairs with Eva? Sybil Birling’s refusal to help a young woman in a difficult situation?
And will the twist ending The Reporter has been sworn to secrecy about answer those questions, raise new ones, or both?
You’ll just have to head to The Switch Theatre this month to find out for yourself.
An Inspector Calls will be on stage Sept. 12 to 15, at The Switch Theatre, 10029 E. 126th St., Fishers. Go to HyperionPlayers.com/tickets to reserve your seats.