Butchering Crows Challenges Status Quo

Nathan Kauffman and Pete Nelson in Pam Mandigo’s Butchering Crows. (Photo: Tyler Grove)

A first for EMU, theater major Pam Mandigo’s senior thesis project has brought an experimental edge to the theater major and set a new bar of achievement for EMU’s small theater department. Despite its size, the theater department has been consistently churning out glorious works of art, and in a new way, Mandigo’s work has brought a new and refined edge to art at EMU.

Mandigo’s play, Butchering Crows, is a laboratory production, which in a sense says that as a work of art, it is still very much in progress. Mandigo’s debut as a playwright has been anything but shy, for Crows takes on intense issues that are challenging for an experienced artist, let alone a young and budding artist. Tackling love, grace, forgiveness, and sexuality is no easy feat, and Mandigo has certainly taken the challenge in stride. A two-act play, Crows is a story of two angels in love, two human lovers, and a drugged and impregnated woman. One can guess that this may be a tragedy of some twisted sort, but it is a largely successful attempt at a metaphor of a world without Christ, grace, and forgiveness. The confusion built into this world without grace is deliberately incorporated to immerse the audience in to the strange reality built by Mandigo.

As a work in progress, the metaphor that Mandigo approaches in her play is sometimes unclear and hard to understand, but a large part of the work’s success lies in the discovery of the conflicts, ideas, and troubles of the characters. If searching for a “quickie in the closet” kind of entertainment, this play will leave the action movie junkie quite unsatisfied. Crows is definitely above such mundane work, and once refined, Mandigo will have a masterpiece on her hands. After participating in the talkback session after the play, the ideas and intentions of the play were clarified and solidified, leaving a great appreciation for Mandigo’s provocative writing.

Butchering Crows is a strong work, challenging established gender roles, sexual taboos, and even preconceptions of love and grace. Scenes that may at first be dismissed in confusion as simple and awkward are made more clear as the characters’ pasts come to light, developing complex and sophisticated tension. Humans and angels alike fumble around at love, giving new light and angles on faith, life and love. All said and done, Mandigo’s work is intense and satisfying, yet murky enough to provoke reflection.

The two angels, Gabriel and Uriel, are played by sophomore Nathan Kauffman and senior Pete Nelson. The two lovers, Dakota and Judah, are played by juniors Chelsea Mast and Addie Miller, and the pregnant woman, Cameron, is played by sophomore Louisa Tindall. All of these characters are remarkably deep and difficult roles to play, and all around, the actors and actresses did an outstanding job with such a complex play. Pam Mandigo is certainly on her way to being a successful writer, and Butchering Crows is definitely witness to her talent. The play, directed by Heidi Winters Vogel, will be performed again April 3 and 4, Thursday and Friday nights at 7:30 p.m. in the mainstage theater.