Completeness

by Itamar Moses
directed by Pam MacKinnon
originally produced at South Coast Repertory, Costa Mesa, CA.
April 17, 2011 through May 8, 2011

About the Premiere Production:

How does a computer scientist hook up with a molecular biologist? He uses the algorithm method, of course. But when Elliot offers to build a computer program to help Molly with her latest research project, they discover that megabytes and microbes might not be compatible—and even the most sophisticated algorithm may freeze in the face of life’s infinite possibilities. From the author of Bach at Leipzig, a 21st-century romantic comedy about the timeless confusions of love.

Artistic Statement

What this grant has allowed us to do:

We included Itamar Moses’ Completeness as one of the five staged readings in the 13th Pacific Playwrights Festival in April 2010 – in fact, it was the first event and proved to be the hit of the weekend. The ways people behave when we fall in and out of love have been astutely observed by Moses, and he has an extraordinarily well-tuned ear for contemporary conversation. The reading, expertly directed by Pam MacKinnon, prompted abundant laughter of recognition from a nearly full house consisting of about 85 visiting theatre professionals and several hundred local theatre-goers. Although the play’s world and its methods are steeped in science, its canny examination of the vicissitudes of young romance clearly has universal appeal. We are pleased to include the full production as one of the cornerstones of the 2011 Festival this season. The additional rehearsal week enabled by Edgerton funding will prove invaluable in allowing Moses more time to continue refining his text even as MacKinnon works through the play’s complicated rhythms and its shifting levels of reality with her cast. This gives the play the best possible chance of achieving its optimum form by the time it reaches its first audiences – and of moving on to many more productions once the theatre professionals visiting the festival get a chance to see it fully produced.

Creative Team:

Director: Pam MacKinnon