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Acting classes abound in methods of how actors might best channel the mannerisms and conscience of fictional characters for the stage.
Nova Calvery Chase had no such problems when she scored the role of Marina Pisklakova-Parker for Pygmalion Theatre Company's production of "Seven." Her character, the first woman to combat domestic violence in post-Soviet Russia, exists in real life.
"I've friended her on Facebook," said Chase, a 33-year-old Salt Lake City legal secretary by day. "I've corresponded with her back and forth, exchanging notes. I'm sure I could even extend an invitation for her to the opening performance, whether or not she comes."
Playwright Paula Cizmar interviewed Pisklakova-Parker and preserved her story in dramatic dialogue, woven into the real-life stories of six other human-rights activists . Cizmar's stage drama, which debuted on Martin Luther King Day in 2008, has been lauded by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and theater critics worldwide as a genre-defying work of "documentary theater."
"Seven" takes its audience on an international tour of hope and perseverance as its seven protagonists fight for democracy. Along the way, they fight against sex trafficking, sectarianism, political corruption and institutional violence against women. A vital reminder that freedom's struggle begins at the street level, it promises the urgency of a news bulletin mixed with the passion and vibrancy of live theater.
"I hesitate to really call it a play. It's unlike any other piece of theater I've been involved in," said Lane Richins, who last directed "The Sunshine Boys" for Pinnacle Acting Company. "We're putting interviews onstage to make it all one piece."
Richins has followed one of the play's real-life stories for almost a decade. In June 2002, he read a newspaper account about the rape of Pakistani woman Mukhtar Mai. Accused of an "honor crime," she was gang-raped by men in her village. Rather than commit suicide or hide in shame, she confronted her attackers and the tribal mentality of her culture, and went on to establish schools for women. Richins followed her story on the website vitalvoices.org, where he first learned about "Seven."
Teresa Sanderson is a Pygamalion Theatre Company board member who was cast as Guatemalan activist Anabella De Leon. At first, she was worried that "Seven" would be too downbeat and astringent for audiences looking for a fun night out at the theater. It was point driven home when she discovered that her own real-life character, as well as her son, has lived under the protection of a bodyguard ever since she exposed her country's endemic political corruption as a congresswoman.
"What we discovered as we looked at the script was that, while the stories are devastating, there's humor throughout the tragedy," Sanderson said. "These are women who fought and overcame huge injustices. I'm really lucky, because Anabella is hilarious."
The play charts the women's struggles, as well as the vital ingredients of the moment and circumstances under which each of them decided to take action. Betsy West, who plays North Irish activist Inez McCormack, declares the words "inalienable rights" at the play's beginning. "What do we have to do to get these rights?" her character asks. "They're yours, I tell them!"
The vast distance between rights taken for granted and rights earned through courageous struggle is walked in every character's dialogue, in lines such as "How did I come to speak out?" and "I don't know what it means to be silent."
But more than an open declaration of endless rage, "Seven" is ripe with tender moments as well, said Tamara Howell, who plays Afghan woman Farida Aziz, who stood up to the Taliban.
"There's this dichotomy of each woman loving and caring about her country, then there's this underbelly that's treacherous and dangerous," Howell said.
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Pygmalion Theatre Company presents "Seven."
When • Feb. 23-March 11, 7:30 p.m. A special 7:30 p.m. performance Wednesday will benefit the Inclusion Center for Community and Justice.
Where • Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center's Black Box Theater, 138 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $20. Call 801-355-ARTS or visit arttix.org or http://www.pygmalionproductions.org for more information.