Lab! Theatre’s “The Anatomy of Gray” to open tonight

Grab a seat for the season premier of “The Anatomy of Gray” tonight.

But don’t expect to see Meredith or McDreamy from ABC’s prime time show.

“The Anatomy of Gray,” which actually was named Gray’s Anatomy for a while during its composition, is indeed about a doctor — a doctor named Galen Gray.

But, this Lab! Theatre production follows Dr. Gray as he stumbles into a small town while struggling to find purpose in his life.

Lab!, a student-run theater group that also works with the Department of Dramatic Art, opens its season with tonight’s show. All shows are free and are in the Elizabeth Price Kenan Theatre in the Center for Dramatic Art.

Opening tonight at 8:15 p.m., the show runs through Tuesday with one show every day and additional matinees on Monday and Tuesday.

“The Anatomy of Gray,” written by Indiana playwright Jim Leonard and directed by graduate student Matthew Murphy is a coming-of- age tale about finding oneself.

In the opening dedication of the play’s script, Leonard addresses illness, loss and the struggle to tell a story the right way. The play aims to embody all of these aspects.

Leonard writes that he did not find the story, but the story found him.

Ramey Mize, a sophomore art history and theater double major who plays the part of June Muldoon, said as she discovered June’s traits, she realized she displayed some of those qualities herself.

“That is why I do acting,” she said. “It’s so revealing of who you are. It’s a continuous self-discovery process.”

As June continues to question how things are versus the way she thinks they should be throughout the play, the audience comes to realize certain truths about life.

Mize said that June’s stream of consciousness is more poignant than the other characters’, and her character is the primary storyteller.

Doug Harris, a junior drama and political science double major, who plays the role of Dr. Gray, said the show is about what it means to “come home.”

“How does someone who hasn’t had a home in so long find this community and find out where he fits in with all these other issues of death and disease?” he said.

In the play, Dr. Gray has been without a home for a while and seems to be wandering without roots.

Through the discovery of his character, Harris said he has learned to appreciate his family more.

He said he realized the value in having that foundation, even when you cannot access it, such as living away from home while in college.

Harris said that there is something incredibly powerful about being onstage.

As an actor, he has a more personal interaction with audience members, instead of through the common contemporary filters of technology, such as cell phones.

He said this type of communication barely skims the surface of what human interaction should be.

Both Mize and Harris said that being a part of this show has been a positive experience

“It is so worth it,” Mize said. “We’re so interested in the story, it’s extremely gratifying.”


Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.