The ‘Proof’ is in the players: new play opens at the Marion Art Center
Rick Sherburne (right) directs Oliver Asker who plays Hal in "Proof". Photos by Mari Huglin 
Jade Beauregard and Donn Tyler play Catherine and Robert, brilliant father and daughter mathematicians. 
Jade Beauregard plays Catherine, a mid-twenties adult struggling with the death of her father and the relationships around her.
Jade Beauregard (Catherine) and Oliver Asker (Hal) fight over a bag.
Jade Beauregard (Catherine) and Oliver Asker (Hal) converse on the porch where every scene takes place.
The cast of "Proof" from left to right: Jade Beauregard, Oliver Asker, Donn Tyler and Charlotte Baxter.
The cast thanks the technical crew.
Rick Sherburne (right) directs Oliver Asker who plays Hal in "Proof". Photos by Mari Huglin
Jade Beauregard and Donn Tyler play Catherine and Robert, brilliant father and daughter mathematicians.
Jade Beauregard plays Catherine, a mid-twenties adult struggling with the death of her father and the relationships around her.
Jade Beauregard (Catherine) and Oliver Asker (Hal) fight over a bag.
Jade Beauregard (Catherine) and Oliver Asker (Hal) converse on the porch where every scene takes place.
The cast of "Proof" from left to right: Jade Beauregard, Oliver Asker, Donn Tyler and Charlotte Baxter.
The cast thanks the technical crew.
MARION — “I just found that the whole thing was just so human, so touching,” said Marion resident Pippa Asker who attended a dress rehearsal of the Marion Art Center’s new play, “Proof”.
Directed by Rick Sherburne of Sandwich, “Proof” is a play about a young woman, Catherine, dealing with the death of her father.
“Proof” is opening Friday Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. located at 80 Pleasant Street.
This two-hour play focuses on Catherine’s relationship to her father, who is a genius mathematician, her sister Claire and her involvement with Hal, a former student and admirer of Catherine’s father.
“The cast gelled very quickly,” said Sherburne. “They worked so well collaboratively with each other and with a cast this small, you can't have egos.”
The production was rocky at first beginning six weeks out from the first show. Two weeks into the production, the actress for Catherine dropped out of the play and Jade Beauregard from Fairhaven quickly caught up to speed.
“We basically started from scratch” once Beauregard joined, said actress Charlotte Baxter of Hyannis who plays Claire, Catherine’s sister.
Baxter hopes many people will come see their production. She said, “I think [the play is] underrated and I think people will be more impressed than they were expecting.”
Sherburne invited family and friends to watch the final dress rehearsal of the play, including Margo Ruggiero of Fairhaven and the mother of Beauregard.
“[The play] just touches so many different levels of humanity. The sacrifice and the aging parents and the gender roles, so it will reach a lot of people” Ruggiero said.
Providence-based actor Oliver Asker plays Hal. He loves that the characters drive the story.
He said, “I think the characters are also nuanced and real. Hanging on to that and letting that stay forces the story to be clean and easy.”
Pippa, mother of Oliver Asker and president of the Marion Art Center board of directors said, “I kind of thought it was going to be all about the math and the proofs, but it was really about the relationship with the aging dad and what it does to you and to families.”
Sherburne explained, “It is a serious topic, but it's not a serious approach. There's surprising amounts of humor to be found.”
“We're having fun with it because it is about family and families deal with a lot of very serious stuff, but they also find a way to bring humor to it,” said Sherburne.
The play will run from Oct. 10 through Oct. 26. For members tickets cost $20 and for non-members $23.
“This is an inexpensive way to have theatre at a place that takes it seriously.” Sherburne continued, “It's so close versus going to Boston, where you might see a professional setting, but here you're seeing people from the community.”
