Unmoored by Love

Sophia Bianchi ’26 and Brielle Blood ’24 starred in the Theater Department’s production of “The Moors”

Sophia Bianchi ’26, left, and Brielle Blood ’24 starred in the Theater Department’s production of The Moors in Conn’s black box Tansill Theater in November. Written by Jen Silverman and directed by Associate Professor of Theater Kenneth Prestininzi, the play is a funny and dark comedy about living in a big, isolated, Gothic house filled with hidden lusts and rage in England’s unnerving Yorkshire moors. 

Upon the arrival of an unsuspecting young woman answering a job advertisement, the household’s two sisters, along with a maid, dog and forlorn moorhen, begin to unravel in this strange mash-up world of desire, identity and rivalry. Edgy and contemporary, The Moors pushes Victorian tropes to such extreme limits that even the Brontë sisters would be shocked at its moxie and daring.

Blood played Agatha, the head of the household and one of the sisters, while Bianchi played the new governess, Emilie. “The Moors tells the complicated story of how each character’s ambitions in life and love ultimately lead to their downfalls or triumphs,” Bianchi said. “Playing Emilie allowed me to discover the secrets of the show with the audience. It’s a role I will cherish.”

Prestininzi called the production “beautiful, smart and dangerous.” 

“The characters become unmoored by love. No one could be trusted in this wickedly comic play about the conflict between desire and control,” he said. 

The Moors was presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.

Photo by Moises Chiquito ’24