Bernice

Abstract

In 1919 the Provincetown Players debuted Susan Glaspell’s first full-length play, Bernice. Over 100 years later, Genoveva Productions, a small Manhattan-based production company, revived the play as part of their 2021–22 season. It is heartening to see this rarity revived.Readers of Jeff Kennedy’s website provincetownplayers.com will be familiar with Bernice’s plot and setting. To paraphrase: the play is set in the living room of the home belonging to Bernice and her father and takes place over twenty-four hours, beginning in the late afternoon of an October day. Bernice—an absent main character in the manner of Mrs. Wright in Trifles—has died. At rise, Bernice’s father, Mr. Allen, and the maid, Abbie, both of whom had lived with Bernice, await the arrival of Bernice’s husband Craig, her best friend Margaret, and her sister-in-law Laura. This group will plan the funeral. Abbie declares that Bernice has killed herself, and we learn that Craig has been having an affair, which Craig assumes accounts for her alleged suicide. As the play progresses, however, we come to understand that Bernice has died of a sudden illness. Craig remains ignorant of this fact and continues to believe that she died because of her love for him. The second and third acts find the characters figuring out whether or not to tell Craig the truth about Bernice’s death. In the final act, they decide to restore the living room to Bernice’s preference to honor her legacy. Margaret, who throughout the play is unable to go into the adjoining room to view Bernice’s body, finally musters the courage to visit her.Performed midtown in a room the size of many New York City studio apartments, this humble production was shaped by COVID-era protocols. Audience members were required to sit six feet apart, wear masks, and show proof of vaccination. While waiting to enter the studio, I overheard guests in the hallway and stairwell discussing their trepidation about attending a live theater production for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. For many, every sneeze and cough during the performance caused anxiety. This production was staged before AEA (Actors Equity Association) announced Coronavirus guidelines for showcase codes (microbudget and independent productions); so much credit is given to the producers, creative team, and cast for determining and upholding safety guidelines while still providing a space for nonunion artists to work.Even on a shoestring budget, Genoveva Productions was able to create the mood and tone of a rural visitation with simple area lighting and set design choices. Upon entering the studio, audiences were met with a sparse living room set consisting of two chairs, a coffee table, and a piano, on which perched a photograph of Bernice. The intimacy of the space informed the spectators’ relationship to Bernice, making us feel the characters’ responses to the death all the more acutely. While we never saw Bernice’s body, her spirit haunted the space.This production featured several strong performances, most notably Kathleen Regan as Laura Kirby, Bernice’s sister-in-law. She brought powerful energy and humor to all her scenes, with a strong presence that radiated through the room each time she entered. I look forward to seeing more of her work. Jack Coogins also stood out in the role of Bernice’s grieving father. He created an authentic character with which audiences could immediately empathize. Both actors made strong and successful physical choices such as adjusting their posture and gait. The cast was rounded out by Misti Tindiglia (Abbie), Gus Ferrari (Craig Norris), and Julia Genoveva (Margaret Pierce), who also directed and produced.Like other audience members in the space that day, I appreciated being introduced to this gem of a play. For me it really shed light on the status of women in the early twentieth century, both in terms of what society thought their place was and how they viewed themselves. Particularly notable in this respect is the second-act disagreement between Margaret, a single activist, and Laura, a traditional upper-class woman, regarding Bernice’s life choices. This scene speaks to the ever-relevant social and personal pressures placed on women, and particularly the likelihood that the choices a woman makes for herself will always seem wrong to someone else. I am grateful that Genoveva Productions resurrected this play.