How would you feel if you found out you weren’t the only you — if there was an exact replica of you? What if you found out that you’d been cloned? Would you believe that you’re the real you? Would you suspect you might be a copy of the original? How could you be sure anything about your life was real? These are some of the questions posed in Caryl Churchill’s play “A Number,” opening at the Ancram Center for the Artson Oct. 1.
Churchill was born in London in 1938 and has been hailed by the theaterl world as one of the strongest voices of her time to take on sexual politics and feminist themes. Her works garner pointedly considered analysis from the highest levels of theatrical intellectualism. Basically, it’s about as far from “The Lion King” as you can get. While she’s experimented with dance theater in the past, “A Number” is much more stripped down, highlighting Churchill’s chosen themes and the skills of both actors on stage.
In “A Number,” Churchill explores the existential ramifications for a man who discovers he’s been cloned. With only two actors — John Wojda playing the father and Drew Ledbetter as the son and his clones — the play play uses a spare, intimate structure to explore complex questions.. Premiering in 2002, “A Number” examines identity, individuality and the implications of human cloning.
Ledbetter, who takes on multiple versions of the same person, has performed in a variety of Off-Broadway and regional productions, including “Hamlet” and “King Lear.” He’s appeared in “The Blacklist” and HBO’s “Succession” and was featured in the WordPlay e-Book version of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” which pairs acted video scenes with the original written word.
Wojda, who’s appeared in several Broadway productions, also has extensive experience with Shakespeare, including “The Merchant of Venice” and “MacBeth.” He has toured nationally with “Spring Awakening” and internationally with “West Side Story,” itself an adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet.” Like Ledbetter, Wojda has also appeared in “The Blacklist” but boasts a robust list of other television productions, including “Blue Bloods,” “Mr. Robot,” “Madam Secretary” and iterations of “Law and Order.”
For tickets to “A Number,” visit www.ancramcenter.org.
