Creditors Remy Bumppo Theatre

The Remy Bumppo Theatre Company proved itself adept at smashing crockery in 2011 with their production of Edward Albee's The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia. Two years later, statuary once again plays a role in David Greig's adaptation of August Strindberg's psychological thriller, Creditors—specifically, a faceless nude odalisque made in the image of the sculptor's wife, the former played by Gabriel Ruiz and the latter by Linda Gillum. We first see it unfinished, its creator chatting with a visitor while he pares away the clay with his shaping knife, sprays its surface with mouthfuls of water to keep it moist and swaddles it tightly in a canvas shroud at the end of the day to prevent it drying overnight.

You don't learn these skills in your average week-end crafts class and though Adolph is callow by temperament, he is an artist of considerable expertise. Assistance is clearly needed to make this contradiction believable.

"Anna Koh-Varilla and Jeff Varilla supplied us the statue you see onstage," says Remy Bumppo artistic director Nick Sandys, "Linda knew them when she was a student at the University of Illinois. They once did four of the muses in bronze, and I thought they might still have a study from that series somewhere in their studio. They didn't—but Jeff Bauer, our scenic designer, spotted a different scaled-down maquette in the storage area and asked if we could use it for the show."

An effigy built to be viewed solitary and immobile is one thing, but how stageworthy is it? "The actual statue is made of terra cotta, but Anna and Jeff created a clay mound for its base and skim-coated the rest so it would blend in." Sandys explains, "They also instructed Gabe in the handling of the tools, so that he can actually remove pieces of clay from the mound, which we wet down and stick back on after the show. The crew also soaks the cloth cover every night, then wraps it and the entire figure in plastic."

The company is always conscious that this is not a mass-produced theatrical prop, but a one-of-a-kind art object—very fragile, not to mention heavy. Not only is the table upon which the statue is displayed constantly watched for signs of unsteadiness, but Sandys recalls the distress engendered by an accident while transporting it during rehearsals. "We were devastated! The actors said it was like missing a scene partner. When Anna and Jeff heard how important their statue was to the dramatic action, they offered to put in the long hours needed to repair it"

The intense focus on the goddess-in-progress might cause audiences to wonder whether that really is Gillum reproduced in earthenware like a china doll. "Well, as I said, Linda had posed for them once upon a time, but there weren't any 'Lindas' left." Sandys admits, then grins mischievously, "Anna and Jeff like to use actors as live models, so if you look closely at some of the Koh-Varilla Guild's art—at Soldier Field, or at the Lincoln Park Zoo—you may recognize some of the faces."

Creditors runs at the Greenhouse Theater Center through June 2.

Mary Shen Barnidge
Contributing Writer