What's the word?
By MICHAEL SMITH, 3/29/2004
(From left) Dr. Savant (Mark Miller), Helena (Cyndi Hamill), Stroll (Corey Douglas), Maria (Sara Wilemon) and Mr. Gross (Dale Sams) in the Theater Club's production of "The Memorandum." MICHAEL WYKE / Tulsa World
'Memorandum' explores how words can be used to manipulate and control
Vaclav Havel's entire life seems a bit absurd, when you think about it.
An Eastern Europe student becomes a playwright. A man of ideas becomes a dissident. An artist defies government censorship and becomes a prisoner because of his subversive writings. A freed figure of a revolution becomes president of the Czech Republic for 13 years.
Havel certainly saw the absurdity of the whole thing, and especially the power that came with the job he held until last year.
"I really do inhabit a system in which words are capable of shaking the entire structure of government, where words can prove mightier than 10 military divisions," the leader was quoted as saying.
But Havel long had known the manipulative danger of language, learned on the bottom rung of the ladder rather than at the peak of power, as evidenced in his 1965 absurdist comedy "The Memorandum."
In the play, a minor government office is instructed to conduct all business in a new and improved synthetic language known as Ptydepe. The fact that no one understands Ptydepe is no excuse for ignoring the memo.
Entire departments devote their efforts to deciphering the message.
An administrator attempts to find the truth in this scenario, but the people around him twist the situation -- and their words -- to manipulate other people into furthering their personal agendas.
Jenny Jackson, director of this Theater Club production opening Thursday, has often been asked what "The Memorandum" is about. She mentions bureaucratic idiocy, the arbitrariness of management policies, office politics.
But people really seem to understand her synopsis when she mentions comic strip favorite "Dilbert" or cult film favorite "Office Space."
"Then they say, 'Oh yeah, I know what you're talking about,' because I think just about everyone in a work environment has been directed to do something that they thought was complete nonsense," Jackson said.
She remembers a man employed by a local corporate giant asking about the show and hearing Theater Club founder Craig Walter tell him, "Oh, this will seem like a documentary to you. You might not see it as a comedy."
"The guy laughed," Jackson said. "He understood what we were saying."
But it won't be that clear during the play, when Ptydepe takes over, and the audience wonders during a conversation: Are the employees having an argument? Are they flirting? Are they in agreement or in disagreement?
"Our cast has several people who are well-versed in improv, so they're having a lot of fun with the language, because we've just made it up.
"Your guess is as good as mine as to what they're saying."
The cast includes Dale Sams, Steven Nuchia, Edward Sullivan, Heather Sams, George Nelson, Anthony Batchelder, Corey Douglas, Mark Miller, Cyndi Hamill, Sara Wilemon and Tyronne Nash.
"THE MEMORANDUM"
Who: Theater Club
When: 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, also 8 p.m. April 8-10
Where: Nightingale Theater, 1416 E. Fourth St.
Tickets: $8, may be reserved by calling 557-8012