Trustees turn out for alumna premier

Marlboro trustees, staff, alumni, and friends showed up for the new play by Mercedes Lake ’12, “Taught,” which premiered at the John Cullum Theater in New York in October. Trustee Angela Smith Domzal hosted a post-show dinner at the Yale Club for Mercedes and guests, including fellow trustees Dean Nicyper ’76 and Bart Goodwin, President Kevin Quigley, alumni Lauren Deutsch ’08 and Heather Bryce Labor ’04, and other friends of the college.

“This was a thrilling example of Marlboro College’s impact on the arts, through our many talented alumni near and far,” said President Kevin. “Mercedes’ play approaches an important and controversial subject with the depth, discernment, humanity, and, yes, humor I have come to expect from Marlboro graduates.”

“I was so proud to show my play to alumni and trustees because the theory and research behind ‘Taught’ came from my Marlboro experiences,” said Mercedes. “Having the trustees there just goes to show the deep ties between Marlboro-ites and their community.”

“Taught” is a dark comedy satirizing competitive weight loss reality shows. The play follows two contestants as they train with a fitness guru on the fictional show Totally Awesome Untamed Thinness to win cash, lose weight, and transform their relationship with their bodies.

Mercedes graduated Marlboro with a Plan of Concentration in American studies and theater, which included writing, directing, and producing a show of original plays entitled The Gun Behind the Door. Mercedes graduated from Northwestern University’s Writing for the Screen + Stage MFA program in June 2016. Mercedes’ plays The House Call and After All These Years have received readings at the Chicago Dramatists, and her play Grove Street was a finalist for the Brooklyn-based Scrap Mettle reading series.