Emotional
tale of adoptee
explored in
'Birthmarks'
Towson
Times
Towson, Maryland
Wednesday, October 9, 1991
By Lisa Goldberg
__Life as an adopted swan in
a family of ducks was not easy
for Hans Christian Andersen's
"The Ugly Duckling."
__And
for Christopher Eaves, who
found his birth parents two months
ago, the message of the Hans
Christian Andersen tale hit home.
__
"He
was a swan misplaced in a
nest of ducks," said Eaves, 24, who
lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. "It's a story
about feeling like you are growing
up in the wrong space and trying to
find out who you are."
__
On
Oct. 14 and 15, Eaves,
a 1989 graduate of Towson State
University, will present his own
look at the emotional struggle of
adoptees in America at 8 p.m. on
the Mainstage Theatre of his alma
mater in "Birthmarks."
__
Combining
dialogue, movement,
dance, video and song, "Birthmarks,"
is the story of one young man's effort
to let go of the past he lost with his
birth parents.
__
Although
the story can find its
common theme in the Andersen story,
"Birthmarks" is far from being a fairy
tale. Rather, it focuses on the unusual.
__
"The
piece was inspired by a series
of dreams during twilight sleep," Eaves
said. "What I was experiencing was
the experience of my adoption."
__
At
the time, Eaves was looking for
a subject to explore in a new work.
And, he said, his dreams lent many
of the images and dialogue for
"Birthmarks."
__
As
a result, the drama has a
surreal quality.
__
While
describing the main character
Duckie's plight, Eaves periodically
became that character — using his
body and voice to convey the
confusion and pain of his
main character.
__
"Birthmarks"
is the story of a young
man frantically searching for himself.
Through a series of segments, the
audience learns that Duckie, played
by Eaves, was put up for adoption as
a baby. Confused about his origins,
Duckie tries to learn about his
biological roots.
__
"It's
about the mystery of growing
up without the knowledge of where
you came from," he said, "It's about
searching for your past so you can
go forward."
__
Joining
Duckie on the stage is
a mother-figure, played by Towson
State graduate Clea Montville. It is
that figure which Duckie tries to grab
hold of throughout the piece, as he
attempts to journey toward the past
he has lost with his biological mother.
__
Surrounding
Eaves and Montville
during the drama are a variety of
technical and symbolic effects.
__
Among
the more unusual props
are one enormous and 50 smaller
balls, a mannequin, a chorus of
women with flowers and a set
of wings for Duckie to wear.
__
A
video projected on a 10-foot
screen throughout the play broadens
the theme to include everyone
affected by adoption.
__
A
first video segment, starring
Montville and John Wehr, also a
Towson State graduate living in
New York City, focuses on the
emotional dilemma of teenage
parents making the decision to
give their baby up for adoption.
__
"I
made a concerted effort for
(Birthmarks) to appeal to everyone
touched by adoption," Eaves said.
__
And,
Eaves, said, many times,
video and live action will be going
at once, creating that uncertain
dream quality in the performance.
__
Although
Eaves maintains that
Duckie could be any adoptee, he said
the character's heart is from his own
experiences and imagination.
__
Eaves,
who was adopted in
Frederick at age two, met his
birth parents this summer,
after a three-month search.
__
"There
are two years of my life
unaccounted for," Eaves said,
"I always knew. My parents never
kept (my adoption) a secret."
__
However,
his search experience
was unique, Eaves said. Many adoptees
never find their birth parents because
their records are closed. The fact
that Eaves' birth mother, who was
a teenager when he was born,
was searching for him at the same
time he was looking for her facilitated
their meeting, he said.
__
His
birth parents plan to attend
the performance.
__
Although
Eaves began working on
"Birthmarks" in June, he said much
of the dialogue between the teenage
parents-to-be in the video closely
coincides with the dilemma his birth
parents went through.
__
"It's
weird stuff. I wrote all that
dialogue before I met them," he said.
"It's all frighteningly similar. I was
just guessing."
__
The
presentation of "Birthmarks"
coincides with Towson State's
inauguration of its undergraduate
movement theatre concentration.
__
In
addition to Eaves' original piece,
movement theatre artists will present
"Cross Currents" which will premiere
on Oct. 11 and run through Oct. 19.
Eaves will direct "Class," one of the
three original movement theatre
presentations in "Cross Currents."