‘Proof’ continues at SCC

David Auburn’s “Proof” earned both the Tony Award for best play and the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2001 – and 15 years after opening in Manhattan, local Sonoma audiences will get to see what all the fuss was about, as Sonoma Arts Live presents its production of the acclaimed play.

The production, which runs through Sunday, Sept. 6, at the Sonoma Community Center, is directed by Todd Evans and stars Susan D. Lee, Jim McFadden, Paul MacKinnon and Libby Oberlin in the featured roles.

“Proof” finds Catherine, a troubled young woman who has spent years caring for her brilliant but unstable mathematician father, trying to restart her life following her father’s death. On emotional pins and needles, she must deal with the arrival of her estranged sister, and her suspicion about the intentions of a former student of her father’s who wants to delve into his notebooks. As production officials put it, “Over a long weekend she is forced to decide how much to reveal about herself, whether to take the advice of her high-roller sister, how to honor her fathers legacy, and where romance might lead.”

Mary-Louise Parker earned a Tony Award for her performance as Catherine in the Broadway production.

Evans says he was drawn to the material for a variety of reasons.

“I like stories of women who break through conventional roles,” says Evans. “It is also a tender story of the relationship between father and daughter. Why is it timely? It will be many a year before gender equality is not a timely issue.”

“Proof” runs through Sept. 6, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. at 276 E. Napa St.

More info and tickets at sonomaartslive.org.