This play, conceived and directed by Richard Hess, head of the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music Drama, kind of sneaks up on you. It starts with eight actors (all CCM students) in various stages of undress, asking a simple question: If we all come into the world naked, why are we eventually compelled to cover ourselves with clothes? This question is posed in various ways, the actors using lyrical movement around a framed scrim or employing simple scoop lights to create harsh focus and shadows. Yet society’s answers are revealed as circular and unsatisfying. We wear clothes to indicate status or mood or to reflect on who we are. But the clothing has the opposite effect, masking our true selves, leaving us slaves to fashion and convention.About half way through, the play takes off. We see how such social rituals as dancing, greetings and etiquette have taken priority over honesty and compassion in our lives and how it’s become more important to wear or say the right thing rather than to actually do the right thing. Particularly interesting was their use of some intricate period costumes to highlight how deeply submerged we are in the masks of our rituals. It’s pretty profound: We do so many things in society and our lives without a second thought that really don’t make any sense when you actually think about them.The actors seemed initially tentative on opening night, understandably so, as they likely had no idea how an audience might react; I suspect that this held them back a bit at first. But as the 45-minute show progressed, the actors increasingly embraced the material. By the end, their performances were quite strong and the point was made: Clothes don’t make the man — it’s the other way around.
This article appears in Jun 1-8, 2016.