I really liked the quick dialogue, the right use of flashbacks and the hopeful ending. Sep 21, Bianka rated it it was amazing. In Proof: A Play, the author, David Auburn, tells the story of a young woman that explores her fathers work of mathematics to an even deeper understanding then she already knew of.
Her fathers death causes a great toll on her state being but along with her fathers former student they uncover a secret in the notebooks he wrote. The main investigation that takes place in the story is how Catherine and Hal try to overcome their own obstacles as they try to discover the deep-rooted secrets Catherine In Proof: A Play, the author, David Auburn, tells the story of a young woman that explores her fathers work of mathematics to an even deeper understanding then she already knew of.
Proof mostly revolved around the concept of mathematics and numbers, especially primes. For example, when Hal was talking to Catherine about her dad he mentioned a woman Sophie Germain who led the discovery of Germain Primes. However, Hal hoped he could find the answers in the books. Despite all the math involved in the book, science was also a big factor.
Robert, Catherine's dad, suffered from a mental illness which led him to write the things he did. As a result, math and science were greatly connected with one another in the story. Eventually a proof that could change mathematics forever was found. But, Catherine revealed that she had written it. This caused a lot of tension between Hal and Catherine because Hal believed her dad had written it instead of her.
That led me to question just how important it was because of all the drama it caused. Claire comes in the story early on. She wants to bring Catherine back to New York where she will become better. She begins to get afraid that Catherine is turning out like her dad. Its described that the 2 girls do not have a great relationship. One of the questions I had toward the end was what happened for the girls to become this distant. Overall, the book was a great read and I also learned more about the world of mathematics and the involvement of people in it.
Sep 11, Emmy rated it really liked it. It is difficult to think of schoolwork when one is on vacation. Especially math… At least for me since it is not my favorite subject.
Yet, I must admit that I found the reading I chose quite interesting and intriguing. Not knowing what to expect from the assigned integrated science and math booklist I blindly picked Proof, A Play, written by David Auburn. The book is about an adolescent named Catherine who struggles with many issues created by the death of her father, Robert.
Robert, a renowned It is difficult to think of schoolwork when one is on vacation. Throughout the play, the author does a great job incorporating math ideas such as prime numbers, the imaginary number, theorems, and the main concept of a proof.
Reading this play raised a lot of questions for me that I truly wanted answered. I wished to see how an actual staged play would look like, acted out in front of an audience. I found the book to be very well written, providing just the right amount of curiousness, making the reader want to read more. I highly recommend this book to all your future students for it has turned me, not a math fan, on to mathematical concepts.
Sep 11, Kyle rated it really liked it Shelves: plays. One of the best plays I have read in a long time. It would certainly present some technical challenges in its production elements, especially in the way that it moves back in forth through time and also in between seasons you would have to convincingly go from summer-now to winter-three-years-ago in a matter of seconds. Also, depending on the audience, the fact that this is a story with mathematics as its central theme may present an issue for some companies.
It is a strongly written script wit One of the best plays I have read in a long time. It is a strongly written script with natural, flowing dialogue.
It is filled with high and low moments, loud and soft moments, naturally-building tension and small, personal conflict. The memory drama between the father and daughter is beautiful and heartbreaking, while the love interest story is sweet and touching. I think my favourite relationship in the play is between the two sisters though. Very little is more dramatic than sibling rivalry; even when these sisters are at each others throats in competition, you can sense that, underneath it all, there is a latent need to nurture and care for one another.
As an acting piece, there are some fantastic characters here. There is a whole range of objectives for each person on stage and they swing between them quite fluidly. There would be a lot of thought provoking character work to do for actors, regardless of who they are playing. A lot of character history to explore, a lot of intention to understand, a lot of high stakes and a lot of small moments of flawed emotion. Great script.
I would love to produce this. Oct 25, kthread rated it really liked it. Incidentally, that's where Auburn's play begins, and we are ushered into what I'd call Second City Gothic sister to the Southern Gothic subgenre : a big, drafty Chicago house looms, complete with a clanking radiator, absent mother, ghost, tortured heroine wearing a key around her neck, and a supernatural object the proof itself, which fairly glows.
While ostensibly about mathematics, the tense moments feature Catherine learning kindness--we cringe as she illuminates the shortcomings of her fellow players, but we forgive her impatience when she practices kindness with her father, too far gone to retort.
How far do you trust what you intuitively know? When prowling our own houses where things go bump in the night, don't we all grasp for someone who believes in our logic--that inelegant architecture we build to explain who we are? Jan 04, Daniel rated it it was amazing Shelves: major-prize-winner , theatre , 5-star-books , plays. I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised, but I enjoyed this play more than I thought I would.
I expected it to be a bit dry, but it was actually quite lively and the relationships were well-defined though I did feel that there was a certain leap to affection that was a bit rushed.
A minimal cast and a well-crafted tale brought this story to life. I would like to have seen it done. I will admit to wondering, even upon finishing, whether or not the young woman actually wrote the proof or not. Why don't we trust that it was her? Is it because she's a woman?
I enjoyed reading this from the viewpoint of a script reader. Does it have all the ingredients for a play to move from the slush pile to being a contender for a prize? I most certainly would have moved this on. And no, I don't say that just because it did win the Pulitzer.
Apr 28, Gorfo rated it it was ok Shelves: realistic , plays. Proof was perhaps a complex play, whose message was lost on me. Perhaps there was no message, perhaps it was a feminist novel, perhaps it was about injustice of some sort. Most literature is about some sort of injustice. If it's about anything it's probably about fear and speculation, fear of aging, fear that you will never be successful in creating something that is beautiful and elegant and permanent all at once.
Fear that when you die you won't even leave behind proof that you ever existed. View all 4 comments. Feb 05, Megan Huggins rated it really liked it Shelves: plays. This is a play I'm going to have to investigate more to fully understand, but I really enjoyed it and it's very well written. Everything ties together nicely, but I was still left wondering if things would work out. I'm actually doing a scene from this play for one of my acting classes, so I'm really excited to get to play around with it and see what I can discover.
Feb 28, A. Mickey Perkins rated it it was amazing. This was a really cool play. I love the story and characters, and it all seems to flow together really well after the flashbacks. Oct 03, 04shelbyr rated it really liked it. This play struck me as a modern tragedy, to be honest. The rags she wears are her preference, and she lacks the initiative to bathe or to wash her hair. She spends her life performing menial tasks despite the superior talent we are assured that she possesses.
This assurance of superior talent comes from an unlikely source: the ghost of Robert, Catherine's father, who joins her on the porch to celebrate her birthday.
He brings her a gift, a celebratory bottle of champagne. In many versions of Cinderella, the father also brings a gift to the daughter that will later transform her life. Use this link to get back to this page. David Auburn's Proof: Taming Cinderella. Author: Carol Schafer. Date: Winter Claire continues to push the move to New York and reveals that she is selling the Chicago house.
Catherine accuses Claire of leaving her to take care of their father while she was in New York. Claire says that she left so she could make enough money to pay for the house and for Catherine's education. Catherine reveals that she had to drop out of school in order to take care of their father, and accuses Claire of trying to have her committed to a mental institution.
Hal re-enters, having found a very important proof in Robert's notebook. Catherine tells Claire and Hal that she wrote the proof. The beginning of Act 2 is a flashback to Robert on the porch. Catherine tells her father that she is going to go to college and that Claire has funded it for her. Robert wants to know why she waited so long to tell him and she explains that he hasn't been well recently. Hal then steps in to go over his thesis with Robert, when Robert remembers that it's Catherine's birthday and offers to take her to dinner.
Catherine asks Hal to join, but he declines. The next scene picks up where the first Act left off. Hal and Claire don't believe that Catherine wrote the proof.
Hal asks if he can show it to some of the other professors to confirm that it's legitimate. Catherine is upset that her sister and lover do not believe her, and insults Hal. He leaves, upset, and Catherine has a breakdown. Hal returns later to apologize, but Claire refuses to let Catherine speak to him.
He tells Claire that Catherine is stronger than she gives her credit for. He asks again for the notebook to confirm the proof with fellow mathematicians. Bernard I. Eva Mortensen. Jeff Wine Mrs. The production is approximately 2 hours including a 15 minute intermission. The performance will be followed by a discussion with actors from the show. Student audiences are often the most rewarding and demanding audiences that an acting ensemble can face. Since we hope every show at TheatreWorks will be a positive experience for both audience and cast, we ask you to familiarize your students with the theatre etiquette described on the following page.
How to use this Study Guide This guide is arranged in worksheets. Each worksheet or reading may be used independently or in conjunction with others to serve your educational goals. Together, the worksheets prepare students for the workshops, as well as seeing the student matinee of Proof produced by TheatreWorks, and for discussing the performance afterwards. As the audience, you are also a part of the production, helping the actors onstage tell the story.
When the performance is about to begin, the lights will dim. This is a signal for the actors and the audience to put aside concerns and conversation and settle into the world of the play. Performance is a time to think inwardly, not a time to share your thoughts aloud. Talking to neighbors even in whispers carries easily to others in the audience and to the actors on stage. It is disruptive and distracting.
Food is not allowed in the theatre. Soda, candy, and other snacks are noisy and therefore distracting. Please keep these items on the bus or throw them away before you enter the audience area. Backpacks are also not allowed in the theatre. Walking through the aisles during the performance is extremely disruptive.
Actors occasionally use aisles and stairways as exits and entrances. The actors will notice any movement in the performance space. Please use the restroom and take care of all other concerns outside before the show. Cell phones and other electronic devices must be turned off before the performance begins. Do not text during the performance, as it is distracting to the audience members around you.
Backpacks Food Attitude. Robert is a great mathematician and a professor of math at the University of Chicago. He urges her not to waste her incredible intelligence and ability to do mathematics. They argue lovingly about her laziness and about his crazy behavior. We learn that Catherine has been taking care of her father.
He has brought her champagne to celebrate her birthday and the two take sips from the bottle. We realize that Catherine has been talking to a figment of her imagination or has. Hal asks Catherine to come to a bar where his band is performing, but Catherine declines. She accuses Hal of stealing notebooks and discovers that he has indeed snuck a notebook out of the house.
As Catherine calls , Hal desperately explains that he was planning to wrap the notebook and give it to her as a present. He found an entry about her and thought she would love to have the notebook on her birthday. Hal leaves, and Catherine hears the sound of police sirens. Claire has arrived to help with the funeral and to check up on Catherine. She gives her younger sister new shampoo, invites her to Continues on the next page.
Plot Summary, continued New York for her wedding in January, and asks Catherine what she plans to do now that their father is dead. Claire is worried about her sister. While Catherine was in the shower, the police came by to check on the house.
Claire learns that her sister had called them the night before to report a robbery. Hal arrives to continue his work with the notebooks, and Claire introduces herself to him. As soon as he leaves the room, Claire urges Catherine to bring him a bagel and to flirt with him, but Catherine brushes her off.
The grad students are jamming, playing music in the living room—it is a lively party. Hal brings Catherine a beer and apologizes for sneaking a notebook out of the house.
Catherine apologizes for calling the police and tells him he can take as long as he needs to go through the notebooks. Hal realizes that Catherine knows a lot about math and is perhaps hiding just how brilliant she is. They kiss and admit that they have both liked each other for a long, long time. I wrote it. Hal meets her there, and it is a little awkward because they have spent the night together.
We learn that Claire is leaving today to return to New York. Hal tells Catherine that he wants to spend as much time as possible with her, and Catherine is happy. Claire arrives, hungover from the celebration the night before. She asks Catherine to move with her to New York, permanently. Catherine is confused at first, but then is furious when she learns that Claire intends to sell the house.
The two argue bitterly, and Catherine realizes that her sister has investigated mental hospitals and doctors for her. We learn that while Claire was able to finish college and have a life, Catherine was never able to go to college because she had to care for their father.
Just as the argument peaks, a stunned Hal returns with a notebook. In the desk drawer he has discovered a notebook with a proof that would revolutionize the field of mathematics and that would make Robert one of the most famous mathematicians of all time. Catherine states that she was the one who wrote the proof.
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