Growth and Decay in “Mad Forest”

By Cage Evinger

With a premiere on Nov. 19 and running through Nov. 24, the acting Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program’s Company 50 sets out on another adventure with their production of “Mad Forest.”

Members of the Romanian populace (members of the cast) pretend to shoot at their friend Radu (Nnamdi Uzobuife) as he acts as their recently killed dictator at a party. (Photo by Cage Evinger)

Written by Caryl Churchill and directed by Christopher McCann, “Mad Forest” depicts a group of Romanian citizens living under the oppressive regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu in 1989. Based on real events, the story takes place directly before, during and after the revolution that freed the Romanian people.

Through a series of vignettes and documentary-style interviews, the play presents the complexities of war and bloodlust that know no end.

“This preparation process was actually really short. We had four weeks to basically produce this whole show ourselves, because we didn’t really have a lot of tech or a lot of costumes,” said Jade Cook, who portrayed Lucia and Student Doctor in the performance. 

(From left to right) An Angel (Trygve Gundersen) watches over a Priest (Lilia Morrison) along with another Angel (Elizabeth Cuite). (Photo by Cage Evinger)

Cook continued, saying how “it was a little hectic, and it felt like we were running out of time for a while, but once we got to the end, it started feeling a lot more comfortable.” 

“We had a lot of rehearsals,” said Nora Nilsen-Healey, who plays Flavia and Housepainter. “It was a lot of being in the space, and as an unsupported show, it was a lot of devising and creating what the space around us is going to look like.”

Company 50, the graduating Acting BFA class of 2026, made their debut in spring 2024 with “The Good Doctor” and followed it up in the fall of 2024 with “The Government Inspector,” with a production of “Pride and Prejudice” at the end of 2024. 

Since then, they have had four repertory shows, in which the company is split into two groups, each with its own shows to put on, giving individual actors their chance to shine. 

Dog (Gabe Stein) being called to a Vampire (Elizabeth Cuite), teaching the dog that wherever there is revolution, there is blood to be found. (Photo by Cage Evinger)

These repertory shows were, in the Spring of 2025, “The Seagull” and “Stick Fly.” Previously, this semester, their repertory shows were “Mosquitoes” and “Water by the Spoonful.” 

Cook added how “it’s been a huge learning curve. The acting program definitely led me to learn a lot more about myself, because it’s so separate from the rest of the school. We get a lot of time to just have these people who are around you all the time tell you about yourself.”

“You change every year, and you learn more about yourself every year,” Cook continued. ”It was really such a lovely growth process.”

With the development of many different characters for each show, including every cast member playing multiple roles in this performance, every actor in Company 50 has had their abilities on full display.

Members of the cast acting as free Romanians fighting each other, for even after the revolution, the thirst for blood remains. (Photo by Cage Evinger)

As Company 50 caps off their fall semester at SUNY Purchase, they reflect on how the show highlights the ever-present change in the world, reflected in their own lives as they look out to their final semester, and just one more show in the spring of 2026: William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

“It’s been really great, and I feel like we’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of different types of theatre,” says Elizabeth Cuite, a member of Company 50. “I’m excited to do one last show.”