The lights went dark as a hush fell over the audience. Anticipation and excitement built as they waited for the show to begin. Once the lights rose again, the performance space was transformed.
“And the moment the lights rise on stage, with the audience waiting, is the very moment I fall in love with theater all over again,” Kasey Hoyt ‘26, an actress in the production, said.
The Mercer Players presented “Gidion’s Knot” at the Tattnall Square Center for the Arts Sept. 11-14 and Sept. 18-21. After starting rehearsals in the second week of school and diligently rehearsing for a month, the show was ready for an audience, Danica Dilione ‘27, the show’s stage manager, said.
In a quiet fifth grade classroom-turned-emotional battleground, “Gidion’s Knot” unfolded not with answers, but with questions. The play invited the audience to witness a charged parent-teacher conference as it spiraled into a heart-wrenching exploration of grief and guilt. With only two characters and no scene changes or breaks, the play was intimate but powerful.
The show itself dove into deep, complex topics, including suicide, abuse and identity. Jada Clements ‘27 played the part of the fifth grade teacher, Corryn, who questioned Hoyt’s character, Heather Clark, about the events that led to the death of Clark’s son.
Hoyt suggested performing this production for her senior project because acting in it would challenge her “to portray something meaningful.”
“I was often cast as the comedic relief or in roles that felt comfortable to me,” Hoyt said. “I wanted to take on a role that would push me further than I have ever gone before.” She felt “Gidion’s Knot” was the perfect show because it “is profoundly emotional,” Hoyt said.
Scot Mann, director of the show and Mercer theater professor for 21 years, said the rehearsal process was “pretty intense” because of the depth of the story. Mann said he took a collaborative directing approach because each team member brought something unique to the table. And despite having directed the show six years prior, Mann said he was able to find new intricacies and “easter eggs” within it to keep the story fresh.
“I really love working with a script like this,” said Mann. He notes the complexities and the way things are slowly revealed throughout the run of the show. “It makes it really fun to dig into.”
Mann shared that his favorite part of the process are the actor’s light bulb moments. They have to focus on so many things at once, including lines, blocking, intention and more. But, when “they get all that technique down and release themselves to the character, they have that one moment when they suddenly don't remember the last 30 seconds because they were totally committed,” Mann said.
Closing night for the production is Sunday, but the Mercer Players are already gearing up to begin working on their next show, “Grand Guignol,” which will open on Oct. 31. The organization is holding open auditions Sept. 22 and 23 from 6:30-8 p.m. in the Tattnall Square Center for the Arts.
Clara Kurczak '29 is majoring in journalism at Mercer University. She loves capturing moments and bringing stories to life with her camera and pen. When she is not working on articles, Clara enjoys listening to music, spending time with the people she cares about and reading anything she can get her hands on.
