Backstage with “Too Much Memory”

By Alex Goodman ’25

​“Too Much Memory” is the newest addition to the Dramat Association's fall play collection. The play is a modern adaptation of the Greek tragedy “Antigone.” In “Antigone,” a grief-stricken girl defies kingdom law to honor her dead brother. The play is sad, dark, and heavy — a deviation from the comedies the Dramat Association has put on in the past two years. I asked why Mr. Rasheed, who is the Director of Theater at Westminster and has an M.F.A from NYU, chose this play, and he said, “The students that I worked with were eager to do a dramatic piece. Some of the Sixth Formers thought it would be great to do a serious play. I think the classics are very important and this is a more accessible version of a classic play.”
 
The set for “Too Much Memory” is a barren landscape meant to encapsulate how Creon, the leader of Thebes, reduced Thebes to a ‘skeletal void-like state.’  The tech team discarded most of the stage travelers and borders, leaving the fly system exposed to viewers. It’s constructed with numerous black platforms of varying heights and widths. The different heights of the platforms show the emotional distance between characters and the different dynamics in the play.  In the middle of the set, there are two different playing spaces — one on stage level and the other about a foot above.  When asked about challenges faced while constructing, Technical Director Andrew Marco ’11 commented, “We incorporated a rake, meaning that part of our set starts at a lower height, then a higher height, moves back to a higher height. We had to do some mathematical equations, which Mr. Ulrich helped us with. It was important to guarantee all the levels worked from a safety, audience, and actor perspective.” As someone who worked on set construction, I think another challenge was attaching the platforms. It took two weeks to find the most efficient method — even then, things went gradually due to concerns about the platforms becoming asymmetric. All the challenges were worth it in the end.
 
“Too Much Memory” stands out as the end of the Dramat comedy streak. Being able to work backstage gave me a newfound appreciation for theater as a whole.

See more photos here.