The acclaimed playwright Rebecca Gilman may have left her small-town Alabama roots behind, but her words still carry a soft Southern lilt. Despite living and working in Chicago for many years, she managed to resist adopting the city’s distinct accent, as well as the nearby Wisconsin dialect.
However, Gilman’s connection to rural Wisconsin runs deep. After years of commuting between Chicago and Green County, Wisconsin, Gilman made the move to the countryside four years ago. Ask her about her love for the prairie, and she will enthusiastically describe the vibrant colors that change throughout the seasons, from white and pink to purple and yellow. But it’s not just the aesthetics that captivate her; it’s the rich metaphors that the prairie offers.
Gilman, now 58, concerns herself with the destruction of the prairie and takes action by volunteering with a group called the Prairie Enthusiasts to protect the land. She also worries about the threats to wildlife, such as white-nose syndrome, and recently underwent training to become a “bat ambassador” to increase awareness about their plight.
Like many people on this troubled and divided planet, Gilman fears for its survival if humans don’t learn to coexist and cooperate at both local and global levels. These concerns shape her new play, “Swing State,” directed by her longtime collaborator Robert Falls. Set in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area, the play explores themes of purposelessness and the decline of community in the face of escalating antagonism.
While “Swing State” subtly touches on the coronavirus pandemic, focusing on the isolation and hostility that arose during its early stages, its primary focus is the loss of shared values and the detrimental effects of hardheartedness on society.
Gilman’s play takes place in a small township and features just four characters, yet it encompasses profound reflections on civic life. Falls describes it as a quiet play amidst epic social circumstances.
With his 1999 production of “Death of a Salesman,” Falls won a Tony Award and is now nearing the end of his tenure as the artistic director of the Goodman Theater. In his desire to stage one more Gilman play, he expressed his admiration for her voice and the moral sensibility that infuses her work. He appreciates her understanding of the world’s complexities without surrendering to cynicism.
When Falls approached Gilman about writing a new play, she initially struggled with a sense of pointlessness brought on by the pandemic. However, she agreed under the conditions that Falls would direct and that Mary Beth Fisher, who starred in two of Gilman’s previous plays, would take on a lead role.
Gilman poured her thoughts and concerns into the character of Peg, particularly her fear for the world’s future and the preservation of the arts. She wanted “Swing State” to convey these urgent messages while setting the story in her swing-state township, which Joe Biden won by just two votes. Politics remain a touchy subject in such a small community where conflict and animosity can easily erupt.
The themes of polarity and interdependence run deep in “Swing State,” as does Gilman’s fear of losing what she holds dear and her sorrow at the disappearance of beloved species from the natural world. With every bird-watching expedition, she is reminded of the decline in bird populations over the years.
Falls, who grew up surrounded by cornfields in rural Illinois, was never much of a bird-watcher. However, when Gilman introduced him to the prairie and handed him a pair of binoculars, he had a special encounter with a Henslow’s sparrow, which becomes significant in “Swing State.” Considering it a good omen, Falls embraced the beautiful yet quiet nature of the play.
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