The Grapes of Wrath

As many of you already know, I had the privilege this weekend to travel to Illinois State University for this year's Illinois High School Theatre Festival (yes, the official festival name is spelled "TheatRE"), also called "Theatrefest." This was my fourth and final Theatrefest, and although I'm feeling awfully nostalgic right now, I figured this is as good a time as ever to blog about theatre and performance.

Theatrefest 2014!

This year's All-State Production, wherein high school students from across Illinois audition for a production to be performed at the festival, was "The Grapes of Wrath," and it was certainly intense. Based off the novel by John Steinbeck, "The Grapes of Wrath" follows the story of a family from Oklahoma and their attempt to escape poverty and famine. The family packs up and decides to leave for California, where the work is abundant and the orchards are fertile—according to rumor. When the family finally reaches California (spoiler alert!), they realize how untrue the rumors were: wages are desperately low, work is limited, and the family is split apart. Their dreams of prosperity were both dangerous and ungraspable, and they pay the price in the end.


Steinbeck is well-known for his cynical approach to the American dream. He sees dreams as dangerous, convincing men and women of a future that is impossible to obtain. He blatantly criticizes capitalism for instilling these dreams in the minds of hard-working families, believing that in the end, it's all just a farce.

This blog continues to surprise me by how relevant theatre is to the rest of my life, and "The Grapes of Wrath" is no exception. In English class we too have been discussing the damaging effects of dreams in the context of the memoir "Reading Lolita in Tehran," which explains how an impossible dream led to the oppressive regime that exists today in Iran. The characters in the memoir further relate this reality to "The Great Gatsby," in which Gatsby reaches towards an impossible dream, one that leads to his eventual death.

Performance of "The Great Gatsby" from 2008

Are dreams dangerous? Certainly. Should we avoid them at all costs? While Steinbeck and Fitzgerald might think so, I tend to disagree. In the play I saw over the weekend, dreams of grapes and oranges and prosperity did indeed lead to a broken family; however, dreams of stability and a better life are not always detrimental. Perhaps idealizing a dream is what's truly dangerous. If the family in "The Grapes of Wrath" had realized that no future is ideal, perhaps they would have been more logical in their actions. What's dangerous is when dreams cloud judgement—when they override logic and promote blind faith to an ideal.

In a fit of boredom last week, I decided to watch Conan O'Brien's commencement speech to the Dartmouth Graduating Class of 2011. In it, he states that telling college graduates to follow their dreams is illogical. "Dreams change," he said. I'd like to thank the cast of Theatrefest's "Grapes of Wrath"—or "Grapenation" as they like to call themselves—for showing me that perhaps it's not the dream that's dangerous, but rather the close-mindedness surrounding it.

In conclusion, #GrapeNation #TheatreFest. Time to study for finals!