I went to the see "The Giver" at First Stage Children's Theater with a young friend of mine, and we both enjoyed the play immensely.
In the play, 12-year-old Jonas is selected to be his community's next "Receiver of Memories" and his position is to retain the collective memories of the community so that no one else has to. "Has to?" you ask. Yes, our memories bring us joy, but they also bring us pain and sorrow. In Jonas's futuristic community, no one but Jonas, and the elder who passes down the memories to him, "The Giver," need be burdened with the weight of unpleasant memories. Jonas is selected for this honored position because he possesses two important qualities: courage and the capacity to see beyond.
Jonas's community has embraced "sameness"-- they all wear the same color (grey), they have no hills, no snow, no pain, no thing that makes life difficult. People are also protected from their own choices- all important decisions are made for them. Nice, however, they also do not see colors, do not know the warmth of the sun, do not know the satisfaction of making a good decision and do not know what it is like to feel love. "The Giver" powerfully exemplifies the point that hills and valleys make our lives difficult but also give them meaning -- a pretty important point to get.
I visited the library to find the book by Lois Lowry on which the play was based, but found the shelf empty. They had already all been borrowed by other playgoers to be sure. I put my name on the list. This one is good enough to wait for and has enough going on to make me want to experience it twice.
There is still time to see "The Giver" as the play runs until Feb. 25 at the Todd Wehr Theater at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts -- or to see it again. Note that "The Giver" is recommended for children age 10 and older, and that children under age 3 are not permitted in the theater.
Jessica Laub was born in Milwaukee in the spring of 1970, thereafter spending her childhood days enjoying the summers on the shores of Lake Michigan and winters at the toboggan chute in Brown Deer Park.
Alas, she moved away to broaden her horizons, and studied out East for a few years at Syracuse University. After a semester "abroad" at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, she graduated with a B.A. in English and advertising.
After college, she worked at Glacier National Park, a ski hill in Steamboat, Col. and organic farms in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and California.
In 1995, Laub moved to Nicaragua where she worked on community gardens, reforestation and environmental education as a Peace Corps volunteer. While there, she learned to speak Spanish, pay attention to world politics and how to make tortillas.
Laub then returned to Milwaukee to join the ranks of the non-profit sector. Currently, she works at the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF) and keeps busy by painting, throwing pots, reading, trying to understand her two-year old son, seeing performances and howling at the moon.
