These days Stephan Genn can't walk very far in the vicinity of the School of Drama without being stopped by people posing questions about costumes, scenery and lighting, or seeking decisions about last-minute script changes and program notes. Even when ducking out for tea at an establishment blocks away, he is sure to run into someone with a show-related inquiry.
This phenomenon -- although overwhelming at times, admits Mr. Genn -- is all part of that rite of passage known as the thesis production, wherein third-year directing students at the School of Drama stage a full-length show under circumstances as close as possible to those in the "real world" of the theater.
Mr. Genn's thesis production, "The Pope and the Witch" by Italian playwright Dario Fo, will be presented Tuesday-Saturday, Oct. 29-Nov. 2, at the University Theatre, 222 York St. It is the first of four student-directed projects that will be presented during the 1996-97 academic year by the School of Drama.
A professional actor who turned to directing after being injured in an automobile accident, Mr. Genn got his introduction to the world of drama performing "street theater" with a political bent during his radical, "rabble-rousing" youth. When choosing the play for his thesis production, he explains, "One part of me wanted to give a little nod to that visceral, populist street form -- that's why I got into the whole business in the first place." He came across "The Pope and the Witch" while reading the more than 70 works by Mr. Fo, a playwright whom Mr. Genn had long admired because "he wears his politics on his sleeve."
In "The Pope and the Witch," Mr. Fo takes a partly comical, partly cynical look at the world of the present-day Vatican. "The Pope experiences the real world in this play," explains Mr. Genn. "But first the real world comes to him in the form of tens of thousands of abandoned children who flock to the Vatican" seeking help for their plight. This episode, which the Pope views as a plot by the supporters of birth control, causes the pontiff to become paranoid, and a "natural healer" is called in to help him, despite the fact that she is considered a "witch" by the Catholic hierarchy. Eventually, the Pope dons a disguise and leaves the Vatican in order to mingle among the common crowd, gaining new insights along the way.
When staging a play by Mr. Fo, directors often opt for either doing "the comedy without the politics or the politics without the comedy," notes Mr. Genn, adding that the former approach can result in "an okay situation comedy" while the latter can be "like chewing press board." In order to achieve a balance between these two elements, Mr. Genn and dramaturg Melanie Deas got permission from the playwright to create a fresh adaptation of "The Pope and the Witch" for the Yale production. Their script blends components from two previous translations as well as the original Italian text.
To enhance the play's comic elements, Mr. Genn called in his former mentor -- Donald Forrest, codirector of the California-based Dell'Arte Players -- to instruct the 12-member cast in the commedia dell'arte tradition, an "intensely physical theatrical experience" that is best exemplified in this culture by the antics of the Marx Brothers or Abbott and Costello, says the School of Drama student. "The application of these physical techniques to the theatrical in recent years has been lax, to the theater's detriment," contends Mr. Genn.
Regarding the play's political content, Mr. Genn admits there may be some individuals who will be uncomfortable with the issue of whether it's "appropriate" to question "a power structure that they think shouldn't be questioned." However, asking questions is the point of the play, he argues. "It serves as a critique. It does that to attract attention to a broader perceived collusion between big business, organized crime, established government structures and religious organizations. ...
"I don't believe that this play suggests that the underlying faith of Christians or Catholics should be called into question," argues Mr. Genn. "The play asks those of us who are believers to examine the practice of Christianity and the structure of the church."
"Perhaps," adds Ms. Deas, "even to seek renewal within that structure by bringing faith back into the church."
The 12 cast members, who will perform a total of 24 roles altogether, include (in alphabetical order) Tessa Auberjonois, Meg Brogan, Amy G. Cronise, Josh Foldy, John Hines, Kes Kmemnu, Charlie S. Lee, Obie Ndefo, Paul Niebanck, James Shanklin and Gregory Sobeck -- all of whom are students at the School of Drama. Also collaborating on the production are designers Kris Stone (sets), Kristen April Soroko (costumes), Aaron M. Copp (lighting) and Malcolm Nicholls (sound); assistant director Eyal Goldberg; stage manager J.P. Byrd; and administrator Bruce Miller.
Showtimes are at 8 p.m. nightly, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday. Tickets are $10 for the Tuesday-Thursday performances and the Saturday matinee, and $15 for Friday and Saturday evenings. Student prices are $8 for all performances. Tickets are now on sale at the Yale Repertory Theatre box office, corner of Chapel and York streets. For further information or to charge tickets, call 432- 1234.