#Ernest and the pale moon full#

What evidence there is, he says, points toward only a “superficial similarity” between menses and moon phases, and “when a correlation occurs, it is by chance. He notes that this cycle “varies considerably” among women and points out that our closest primate relatives have menstrual cycles ranging from 10 to 50 days. Winners of Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Most Distinguished Play, the 2019-2020 ensemble will perform their highly acclaimed play, Ernest and the Pale Moon. That link has been assumed rather than studied, he says, and there is actually no real evidence of a connection.

One area in which he does not find a strong link between the moon and human biology is the menstrual cycle. From immersive to stage, online to virtual reality, we love to push the boundaries of what it means to put on a show and we do it all in our distinctive Les Enfants Terribles style. This, he says, raises the possibility that we have genes with a “circalunar” clock as well as ones that follow a circadian cycle. In our 20 years as a theatre company, we’ve created shows about everything from bad-ass feminist revolutionaries to a melancholy Mock Turtle. Turtles and horseshoe crabs reproduce on moon-related cycles.īut do such links have anything to do with humans? Naylor says “rigorously controlled” studies in sleep laboratories give evidence that human sleep patterns vary with the phase of the moon - even when people have no way of knowing what phase the moon is in. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators. Inspired by the likes of Edgar Allen Poe and Alfred Hitchcock, Ernest and the Pale Moon is a noir horror based upon a short story by Oliver Lansley about a man who spends his days watching the beautiful young woman who lives in the apartment block opposite. Crayfish, for example, adjust their activity levels in response to the phases of the moon, even when the sky is overcast and they can’t perceive moonlight. Naylor, a professor emeritus of marine biology and ocean science at Britain’s Bangor University, sets out to counter that reluctance by citing patterns, mostly in the marine animals that are his specialty, of moon-related behavior. While modern science accepts that the sun’s 24-hour circadian pattern is wired into the genes of many species, he says, “scientists fearing ridicule” are wary of studying similar moon-related phenomena. Writer Oliver Lansley has once again reached into his wonderfully twisted mind for this dark gem. In his new book, “ Moonstruck: How Lunar Cycles Affect Life,” Ernest Naylor writes that this history of fantasy and fable has made us too skeptical of actual moon-related effects on earthly beings.

#Ernest and the pale moon full#

Wild behavior is blamed on the full moon - and the word “lunacy” comes from the Latin name for the moon goddess. The sound design by Ben Warner adds another layer of spookiness and includes a storm.No celestial object has inspired more myth and legend than the moon - pale, mysterious, waxing and waning, inspiration for lovers, creator of tides and trigger for werewolves personified as a deity or a demon or just the man in the moon (though some cultures see a rabbit or a frog or a toad). Costumes designed by Mary Donovan are perfect for the period. Lighting design by Daisy Long enhances the elements of the set and the performers.

The set pieces are on wheels and work seamlessly to match the locations and facilitate some stunning visual images.

Gray and spooky, it sets the tone for the various scenes. The scenic design by Clifton Chadick is a very impressive work of art.

Other members of the featured ensemble at all performances include junior Becca Ferrante from Norwalk and senior Aurora Schloat from Avon, who was in the ensemble of 'Mamma Mia' at the Thomaston Opera House. Samuel performs the role of the nurse in the other cast.ĭonovan Shaw, a sophomore from Bristol, plays Edgeford and Jonah King (ensemble in 'Head Over Heels') appears as an officer. Hager played the nurse in the performance I attended and mastered an evil laugh. The mother of Ethan was played by WCSU junior Destiny Samuel, who shares the role with Erin Hager, a junior Theatre Performance major. Thomas Thistle, a war veteran grappling with shrapnel in his leg and battle trauma, was played by Jacob Erdody, a first-year Musical Theatre major from Milford, New Hampshire, who played Tim in 'Noises Off.' He shares the role with sophomore Jaxon Beirne (Robbie Hart in 'The Wedding Singer' at Center Stage) from Milford.