“The Search Is the Destination”

Abstract

Meditative solitude is replaced with a rush of motion and conviviality as a large group of men pour in, singing happy birthday and offering toasts in honor of Thomas Merton – the Trappist monk, activist, pacifist, mystic, writer, and more – each with a different point of view on his legacy. The wildly playful, arresting juxtapositions in this production are quintessential Les Waters – and not only because Les himself portrayed the contemplative figure who sat alone onstage. Les is often drawn to plays that contain the sorts of conundrums, rips in the space-time continuum, and weird staging challenges that his imagination is so well suited to tackle. Actors Theatre of Louisville has an open rehearsal policy that allows anyone in the organization to observe the work and seldom did a member of the staff or the Professional Training Company slip into the room without being acknowledged at some point with a grin and a welcome from Les himself.