ACC play "Proof" hits the stage

The Austin Community College Drama Department presented "Proof," a Pulitzer Prize-winning play written by David Auburn, and on Oct. 10-12 and 17-19 at the third floor Gallery Theatre.

It is a story of a mathematician's daughter who struggles to accept her inherited talent for mathematics.

Shelby Brammer, ACC Arts and Humanities Department Chair, chose and directed the play.

"I chose 'Proof' because it was something I thought I could cast, and it was a play I thought would appeal to our audiences. Beautifully written and constructed, its story is universal regarding the hopes and fears we all have about what we may have inherited from our parents," Brammer said.

The cast members consist of Emily Robinson (Claire), Hailey Tuck (Catherine), and guest artists Paul Wright (Father) and Dustin Doering (Hal).

Even though some of the actors of the play are guest artists, the cast was not unfamiliar with each other. Dustin Doering is an alumnus and Paul Wright is a Math Professor here at ACC.

Doering has acted in two films, "Between Floors" and "The Sno Cone Stand Inc."

"We all got along very well. Dusty, Emily, and I became good friends. Emily is in my drama class. Paul and I were both in a film directed by Shelby called 'The Flea Circus'," Tuck said.

Paul Wright, who plays the mentally unstable father of Catherine, is a member of the Actor's Equity Association.

Wright has been in several plays, including Brammer's production of "Our Town". He also has many film acting credits which include "Friday Night Lights," "Prison Break," and "Walker, Texas Ranger."

"Paul Wright was the first person I met at ACC when I was first hired in 1995. I directed him in a production of 'Our Town' at the AFL-CIO Headquarters, and he also appeared in my film "The Flea Circus", which I shot this past year when I was on sabbatical from my job as Drama Department Chair," Brammer said.

"I would say that Paul was very influential to all our performances, he was always the one wanting to take it to the next level," drama major, Tuck said.

Tuck's own performance was discussed by the audience throughout the intermission.

"I saw the play at the State Theatre about three to four years ago, and it was comparable to the performance at ACC, and I thought that Hailey [Tuck] did a wonderful job she was very convincing," Luke Bilberry, owner of 12th Street Books said.

Brammer said, "We like to hire guest artists for our productions that bring experience to our drama students. Students learn a lot about how a professional actor operates, prepares, and performs."