The Department of Theatre and Dance is presenting what it describes an epic play about America’s humanity, suffering and vulnerability, as revealed by the forces of nature. Come Hell and High Water is rooted in 1927’s great flood on the Mississippi River and 2005’s Hurricane Katrina — and, as such, the play comes with rain, real rain, on the Main Theatre stage.

Winter quarter Granada Artist-in-Residence Dominque Serrand devised and directs the play, which he co-wrote with Steven Epp. Come Hell and High Water, structured like an oratorio — built on song, dance, story and character — is set to open on Thursday, March 3, and continue through Sunday, March 13. See At a Glance below.

Serrand, who received a 2005 Tony Award for his work at Theatre de la Jeune Lune in Minneapolis and has been knighted in France for his contribution to the arts, arrived at UC Davis with the third draft of his new work in hand. The play had a working title: The Flood.

Since then, he has been honing the play in collaboration with his UC Davis team. “The rehearsals have served as a workshop, helping me to cut a line here, elaborate more there,” Serrand said. “I am grateful for the talented actors who have helped me along the way, especially my two convicts, Matt and Brian.”

Actually, Matthew Dunivan, a fourth-year dramatic art major, and Brian Livingston, a graduating Master of Fine Arts candidate, play one convict — as a young man (Dunivan) and an old man (Livingston) — and sometimes they are on the stage at the same time.

The convict had been jailed at the age of 15 for attempted robbery — in a case in which he dressed up like Jesse James to impress his girlfriend. The Mississippi flood of ’27 set him free.

Loosely based on Faulkner's Old Man

Serrand had wanted to write an epic of modern-day America for some time, and saw in Hurricane Katrina the themes that he wanted to explore. But Come Hell and High Water is not about Katrina.

In fact, Come Hell and High Water is loosely based on William Faulkner’s Old Man and includes quoted material from that novella. “I was always fascinated by Faulkner’s writing — I find it cinematographic,” Serrand said.

“Upon reading his story Old Man, which is set against the Mississippi flood of 1927, I found my way to tackle the current American disaster (Hurricane Katrina) and all that it reflects about this country.”

Come Hell and High Water takes place around 2005, with the convict as old man recollecting his arrest in the 1920s and his journey through the great flood of ’27.

During his freedom, he comes to the aid of a pregnant woman marooned in a tree — securing shelter for her and delivering her child. He returns to jail largely because he does not know what else to do, and, throughout his 85 years behind bars, he remains uneducated, naïve, and unfamiliar with sex and women.

In its news release, the Department of Theatre and Dance notes how the convict and other elements of the play allow the audience to see and feel the pain and extreme fragility of the American condition.

Somber themes are accentuated with the a cappella singing of African American spirituals. Comic counterbalance is often provided by the young convict’s innocence. Despite his extreme vulnerability and lack of education, he represents hope when he can see both the storm and a brave new generation.

Challenging scenic task

The play presented a challenging scenic task, in that Come Hell and High Water is a journey through the years in different places. Serrand chose a minimalist design: a large, public space where people might gather during a disaster. With props, lighting and video, the set transforms into a prison, a cotton field, and most surprisingly, a fierce storm (thanks to an ingenious method for rain, as created by Daniel Neeland, technical director in the Department of Theatre and Dance).

Scenic designer Rose Anne Raphael, a graduate student, said: “I’ve been fortunate to enter Dominique’s vision for the production, and to be exposed to his aesthetic.

“I’ve learned that even the most tossed-off elements need to be handled with extreme precision in terms of placement, color and other aspects, and that there is an underlying intelligence and structure to all features of the set.

Raphael said Serrand likes to use familiar objects in new ways — taking simple elements like a refrigerator and ladder and using them to transform the space into unexpected landscapes and uniquely expressive areas.

“A plank of wood on sandbags becomes a boat. A sheet lying on the floor is quickly wrapped around the waist and becomes a dancer’s skirt. He has a poetic vision that extends from the development of the script, to how he works with the actors, to his wishes for the scenic design.”

'Beautiful art piece'

Dunivan, a fourth-year dramatic arts major, plays the convict as young man, while Livingston, a graduating Master of Fine Arts candidate, portrays the convict as old man.

“Dominique is a master,” Dunivan said. “You don't need to be around him for more than two minutes to see this. I was joking with one of my cast mates the other day, saying that Dominique could play every single person in the show flawlessly, including the women.

“He just understands humanity in such a way that he is able to dissect pieces of it and create a beautiful art piece. He isn't the ‘in your face’ performance artist who uses very bawdy and violent imagery. Instead, he just uses small strokes from life to paint a very detailed and elaborate picture.”

Serrand and Epp recently founded a new (and as yet unnamed) production company in Minneapolis, and that is where they are planning to present Come Hell and High Water in May — for the play’s professional world premiere.

Janice Bisgaard, publicity manager for the Department of Theatre and Dance, contributed to this report.

Read more from the Davis Humanities Institute.

AT A GLANCE

WHAT: Come Hell and High Water, devised and directed by Granada Artist-in-Residence Dominique Serrand, and co-written with Steven Epp

WHEN:

• Thursday-Saturday, March 3-5 — 8 p.m.
• Friday-Saturday, March 11-12 — 8 p.m.
• Sundays, March 6 and 13 — 2 p.m.

WHERE: Main Theatre

TICKETS: $15/$17 general, $11/$13 student and seniors, available through the Mondavi Center box office, (530) 754-2787 or (866) 754-2787, or mondaviarts.org.

DISCOUNT: $5 tickets are available for school and youth groups of 10 or more, at the teacher or group leader’s request. To make arrangements, call the Department of Theatre and Dance, (530) 752 -5863.

MORE INFORMATION

• Department of Theatre and Dance

ADVISORY: Partial nudity and some profanity.

OTHER PRODUCTIONS

Studio 301's Spring Awakening continues through Feb. 20.

Body of Knowledge, from the Department of Theatre and Dance, opens Feb. 18.

The Vagina Monologues, presented by the 2011 Vagina Warriors of UC Davis, Feb. 25 and 26.