The Absence of Wanting
By Steven Wolfson
Directed by Jane Bement Geesman
In a tour-de-force performance, Elizabeth Huffman brings to life the stories of two women, one ancient and one modern.
The modern woman, The Actress, struggles to keep sober while facing ageism and impending unemployment in her profession, a strained relationship with her daughter and a string of broken marriages that have left her shattered and unhinged. She fears being left behind in today's rapidly shifting political and theatrical landscape.
When we meet her she is performing the role of Aspasia, the brilliant courtesan, and lover of Pericles whose name and significant contributions to the golden age of 5th century Greece have been erased from the history books.
"The Absence of Wanting" explore the very modern themes of democracy, gender politics, marriage, desire and whether history is linear or an unbroken circle, forever dooming us to repeat the same mistakes.
Incorporating original music and digital media, "Absence of Wanting" is a theatrical event for the still new and self-defining millennium.