By Megan Richardson
Arts Editor

Last weekend Bates student Saida Cooper acted out the one-woman show The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe as her thesis performance. The hilarious play, which was originally written for the hilarious Lily Tomlin to perform, is a touching look at just how messed up American society can get, and Cooper did a phenomenal job as the show’s sole actress.

The set for the play was amazing. Complete with street signs, the statue of liberty, and a bag lady, the set conveyed the New York City setting, while at the same time adding a bit of confusion to the background that perfectly reflected the confused state of Trudy, the main character.

Though there was only one actor on stage, there were several different characters. The focus of the play is on Trudy, a bag lady who has gone crazy and is proud of it. She humorously tells the audience all about her former life as a creative consultant for major companies, and her gradual decline into madness. However, she believes that mad people are really just more connected to the truth than their “sane” counterparts, and so she happily tells the audience about some of the truths that she has learned.

These truths are revealed in a number of ways. Sometimes Trudy directly tells the audience about some of the “findings” of her alien friends (Trudy has apparently befriended some aliens since becoming mad, and she has taken it upon herself to make sure that they have a good time while visiting earth). At other times, she goes into “trances” where she is mysteriously able to tune into other peoples’ lives for various lengths of time.

Through these trances, the audience comes to meet the play’s other characters: a punky teen with family issues, a newly sexually liberated housewife, a hardworking ditz, a bored rich woman, and a couple of prostitutes. Cooper moves between characters flawlessly, using different voices, postures, accents and mannerisms to portray each character’s unique quirks and insecurities. By the end, almost all of the characters are tied together in one way or another, making all of their stories more moving.

Helping to tie everything together were the sound and light board operators, James Tuttle and Michael Philbrick, respectively. Their excellent work made for seamless transitions between characters, as did Cooper’s ability to switch from one accent to another in mere seconds. This skill was made apparent in the prostitute scene of the play, during which Cooper acted out a conversation that involved two prostitutes with two distinct personalities.

Though most of the play was funny, there were some very sad parts, which is to be expected in a play that means to be a social commentary on the problems of the world. Cooper conveyed the sarcasm perfectly, but she also played the sad parts in a way that made them chilling and a little uncomfortable to watch. She was never too overtly sad on stage; it was up to the audience to take in what was happening and process the meaning behind it all.

The end of the play was not especially sad, nor was it funny, and it was probably the weakest part of the show, though it was by no means bad. It simply lacked the biting sarcasm or harsh judgments on society that was abundant throughout the rest of the play and as a result seemed a little out of place. Cooper, however, remained magnificent throughout, unabashedly displaying her talent and comfort on the stage. Overall, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe was a delight, making us laugh, forcing us to shed an occasional tear, and letting everyone in attendance enjoy the talent and humor of one of Bates’ best actors.



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