Freshman looks for intelligent life in one-woman play

In 1985, Lily Tomlin spent more than two hours on stage portraying the thoughts and personalities of 13 unique characters. This weekend, freshman Danielle Sacks will have her chance to stun the audience the same way Tomlin did in a play called “The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.” \nSacks and the director, graduate student Harper Jones, are putting on the play as part of an independent student project. They applied for a permit for the space to put on the play. \nSacks first learned of the play, and the character Angus Angst, a 15-year-old, when she was in ninth grade, when a friend’s mother gave her the book of the play. Since then, she has fallen in love with each character over and over again.\nThe play is narrated by a woman named Trudy who takes you through the journey, Sacks said. She really is searching for signs of intelligent life. \n“In a way it is talking about any person’s exploration of what it means to be human, alive,” Jones said. \nOriginally, the play focused on 13 characters, each of whom told his or her own stories. However, Sacks and Jones cut out five of the personalities to get the main idea of the play across more clearly. \n“The philosophies in this book are what I live by,” Sacks said. \nThe other characters Sacks portrays are Lud and Marie, an old retired couple; Brandy and Tina, prostitutes in New York City; Kate, a Jewish woman from Long Island; and Chrissy, a classic false hopes case. \nFor someone who has little or no experience with the kind of personalities she will be recreating, Sacks spent a long time researching character development. \n“I listened to a band called Placebo because they have a song called ‘Teenage Angst,’” Sacks said. “I also watched a lot of documentaries on crack addicts and prostitutes.” \nAside from videos, Sacks also draws inspiration for characters from people in her own life.\n“Every person I meet, I put them into characters,” Sacks said.\nJeff Grafton, who is in charge of set design and lighting, was the one who asked Sacks to be part of an independent production. \n“The set is really cool,” Sacks said. “The concept and ideas behind it match the words.”\nSacks looks forward to having the opportunity to react to what the audience gives her. \n“We’ve really tried to key in a lot of our senses,” Sacks said. “We’re using all different types of media to engage our audience.” Jones and Sacks each spent a lot of time addressing the importance of the concept of the play. \n“What these characters provide is an opportunity to step back from all the bullshit,” Jones said. “They’re not concerned with the trivial.” \nThe real point of the play is to question what it means to live life through other people’s stories, Sacks said. \nAfter worshipping this play for so long, Sacks said she is excited to finally perform it. It has been her dream role.\n“I feel like these words have been tattooed all over my body,” Sacks said. “They are so deeply embedded in my skin.”