Four clustered cubicles in a pressure cooker atmosphere of a Manhattan magazine office. Opening on April 23rd, LMU’s Theater in Color brought the critically acclaimed dramatic comedy Gloria to Loyola Marymount.
The show was brought to campus through Theater In Color, the student-run organization created to guide and celebrate artists and students of color. They launched production in 2020, holding staged readings and stand-up nights, but this was their first fully fledged production with lighting, sets, and intermission performances. Theater In Color’s board made the decision to bring the production to LMU and to bring awareness to the walls that often define a workspace cubicle.
It was in a full house. The classroom once filled with chairs and a blank student white board was transformed into a New York office space. The actors completely took up the space, filling the room with the atmosphere of a confined cubicle space and emulating a real competitive editorial environment.
The production is applauded for its portrayal of cut-throat editorial assistants competing for raises and book deals. Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Gloria originally debuted off-Broadway in 2015 and went on to become a 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama Finalist. It has been performed over a dozen times throughout various theater capitals such as London and Chicago.
The show is a twisted interpretation of workplace culture. The characters feel isolated in both their personal lives and work lives. A seemingly innocent joke about missing a co-worker’s party is the crux of the shocking twist at the end of the play’s first act.
As the show took a brief intermission, the crew changed the sets for the second part of the production as a soulful rendition of Let It Be was performed.
The time jump puts the characters on display, jumping to how they reacted to the traumatic event. Will they buckle under pressure, turn the traumatic event into something they can profit from, or stay silent?
Director Mirage Thrams brings the dramedy to life in a classroom in the Burns Fine Arts Center, stating that artists of color often have to create space within spaces not built to support them.
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